Across the hybrid multi-source index, South Dakota is above average in overall freedom, ranking #6 of 50 states with a score of 69/100. Its strongest areas are regulatory burden, economic freedom, property rights, while it scores lowest in education choice, 4th amendment, criminal justice.
How South Dakota performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Score movements from the Cato 2023 baseline to the current hybrid multi-source index.
5 categories improved · 3 declined · 2 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
South Dakota ranks stronger than most states for free-speech protections, as measured by press-shield and anti-SLAPP laws, public-forum protections, and limits on protest restrictions.
Guns & Ammo 2023 — rank 7/50
South Dakota ranks among the strongest in the nation for gun rights (7th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade D-
South Dakota ranks near the national middle for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
Fraser EFNA 2024 (Overall subn score 8.18 for 2023) — rank 3/50
South Dakota ranks among the strongest in the nation for economic freedom (3rd of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 38/50 (408/100k)
South Dakota ranks among the weakest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (38th of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Medical (comprehensive medical program, possession criminal)
South Dakota ranks near the national middle for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
IJ Eminent Domain 2025 — post-Kelo protections A
South Dakota ranks among the strongest in the nation for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
South Dakota ranks stronger than most states for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations.
EdChoice ABCs 2025 — non-universal, 1 program — top program covers 47% of students
South Dakota ranks near the national middle for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
Mercatus RegData 2024 — rank 2/48 (45,309 restrictions)
South Dakota ranks among the strongest in the nation for regulatory freedom (2nd of 48), as measured by occupational licensing and business-entry barriers.
Provenance
1st Amendment
FreedomRankings Editorial (no strong annual state-level source exists for 1st Amendment speech protections)
2nd Amendment
Guns & Ammo "Best States for Gun Owners"
4th Amendment
Institute for Justice -- "Policing for Profit" (asset forfeiture grades)
Economic Freedom
Fraser Institute -- Economic Freedom of North America (EFNA)
Criminal Justice
Vera Institute -- "People in Prison" (annual incarceration data)
Drug Policy
Per-state cannabis legality status (composite: NORML state pages, DISA legality map, NCSL medical cannabis tracker)
Property Rights
Institute for Justice -- Eminent Domain / Castle Coalition
Religious Liberty
FreedomRankings Editorial (no strong annual state-level source exists for religious liberty rankings)
Education Choice
EdChoice -- "ABCs of School Choice"
Regulatory Burden
Mercatus Center -- RegData state regulatory restrictions
South Dakota ranks #6 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 69/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Regulatory Burden (9.8/10); its weakest is Criminal Justice (2.4/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from South Dakota's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
South Dakota ranks #6 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 69/100. The score is a weighted average of 10 categories — constitutional rights, economic freedom, criminal justice, drug policy, education choice, and more — drawn from the FreedomRankings Hybrid multi-source index (Fraser Institute, EdChoice, Institute for Justice, Vera Institute, NORML, Mercatus RegData, Guns & Ammo).
South Dakota scores highest in Regulatory Burden (9.8/10), Economic Freedom (9.6/10), and Property Rights (9.5/10). These are the categories where South Dakota is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
South Dakota scores lowest in Criminal Justice (2.4/10), 4th Amendment (4.5/10), and Education Choice (4.9/10). These are the categories where South Dakota is most restrictive relative to other US states.
South Dakota scores 8.8/10 on Second Amendment / gun rights, which places it among the most gun-friendly states in the country. This score reflects carry laws, permit requirements, magazine and assault-weapon restrictions, red flag laws, and castle doctrine / stand-your-ground protections.
South Dakota scores 9.6/10 on economic freedom, placing it among the top states for economic freedom. The score reflects state income-tax rates, sales and property taxes, business tax climate, right-to-work status, and the overall regulatory burden on economic activity.
South Dakota scores 5.5/10 on drug policy, which makes it mixed on drug policy — some reforms but ongoing restrictions. The score incorporates recreational and medical marijuana legality, decriminalization of possession, harm-reduction programs, and sentencing for drug offenses.
South Dakota scores 4.9/10 on education choice, placing it below average for education freedom. The score reflects voucher programs, education savings accounts, charter-school access, homeschool regulations, and tax-credit scholarships.
Each of South Dakota's 10 category scores (0–10) is a weighted average, then multiplied by 10 to produce the overall 0–100 freedom score. Categories are weighted equally by default, but visitors can adjust the weights on the rankings page to produce a personalised ranking. The default source is the FreedomRankings Hybrid multi-source index; the Cato Institute 2023 edition and an editorial assessment are also available as toggles. See the methodology page for per-category source attribution.
Click any official to view their full profile, donors, and financial info.
South Dakota ranks #6 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 69/100 — 11.4 points above the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 5 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether South Dakota is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
South Dakota’s best freedoms are regulatory burden and economic freedom. South Dakota ranks among the strongest in the nation for regulatory freedom (2nd of 48), as measured by occupational licensing and business-entry barriers. South Dakota ranks among the strongest in the nation for economic freedom (3rd of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
South Dakota scores lowest on criminal justice and 4th amendment. South Dakota ranks among the weakest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (38th of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy. South Dakota ranks near the national middle for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
South Dakota’s closest neighbors in the ranking are Arizona (#5, 69.3/100) and Missouri (#7, 66.2/100). Use the comparison tool to see exactly which freedoms separate them, category by category.
See how all 50 states stack up on the issues that drive South Dakota’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare South Dakota with any state.
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