Across the hybrid multi-source index, Tennessee is roughly average in overall freedom, ranking #12 of 50 states with a score of 62.9/100. Its strongest areas are economic freedom, 2nd amendment, religious liberty, while it scores lowest in 4th amendment, criminal justice, drug policy.
How Tennessee performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Score movements from the Cato 2023 baseline to the current hybrid multi-source index.
8 categories improved · 1 declined · 1 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
Tennessee ranks near the national middle 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 8/50
Tennessee ranks among the strongest in the nation for gun rights (8th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade D-
Tennessee 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 8.30 for 2023) — rank 2/50
Tennessee ranks among the strongest in the nation for economic freedom (2nd of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 29/50 (326/100k)
Tennessee ranks weaker than most states for criminal-justice fairness (29th of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Limited Medical (CBD/low-THC medical program only, possession criminal)
Tennessee ranks weaker than most states for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
IJ Eminent Domain 2025 — post-Kelo protections C-
Tennessee ranks near the national middle for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
Tennessee ranks stronger than most states for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations.
EdChoice ABCs 2025 — universal eligibility, 3 programs — top program covers 100% of students
Tennessee ranks stronger than most states for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
Mercatus RegData 2024 — rank 25/48 (121,620 restrictions)
Tennessee ranks near the national middle for regulatory freedom (25th 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
Tennessee ranks #12 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 62.9/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Economic Freedom (9.8/10); its weakest is Drug Policy (3.0/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from Tennessee's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
Tennessee ranks #12 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 62.9/100. 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).
Tennessee scores highest in Economic Freedom (9.8/10), 2nd Amendment (8.6/10), and Religious Liberty (8/10). These are the categories where Tennessee is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
Tennessee scores lowest in Drug Policy (3/10), Criminal Justice (4.3/10), and 4th Amendment (4.5/10). These are the categories where Tennessee is most restrictive relative to other US states.
Tennessee scores 8.6/10 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.
Tennessee scores 9.8/10 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.
Tennessee scores 3/10 on drug policy, which makes it relatively restrictive on drug policy. The score incorporates recreational and medical marijuana legality, decriminalization of possession, harm-reduction programs, and sentencing for drug offenses.
Tennessee scores 7.6/10 on education choice, placing it above average for education freedom. The score reflects voucher programs, education savings accounts, charter-school access, homeschool regulations, and tax-credit scholarships.
Each of Tennessee'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.
Tennessee ranks #12 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 62.9/100 — 5.3 points above the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 4 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether Tennessee is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
Tennessee’s best freedoms are economic freedom and 2nd amendment. Tennessee ranks among the strongest in the nation for economic freedom (2nd of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate. Tennessee ranks among the strongest in the nation for gun rights (8th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
Tennessee scores lowest on drug policy and criminal justice. Tennessee ranks weaker than most states for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing. Tennessee ranks weaker than most states for criminal-justice fairness (29th of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Tennessee’s closest neighbors in the ranking are Minnesota (#11, 63.6/100) and Wyoming (#13, 62.8/100). 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 Tennessee’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare Tennessee with any state.
