Here Are The Freest States In America

Florida just ranked as the freest state in America and New York is apparently the least free, according to a new report from a libertarian think tank. The right-leaning Cato Institute published its “Freedom in the 50 States” report this month based on how each state’s policies promote fiscal, regulatory and personal freedom.

The researchers collected data on more than 230 state and local public policies that impact individual freedoms. Florida was crowned the freest state in America while New Hampshire and West Virginia have seen the most improvement in expanding personal liberties.

Here’s how Florida ranked in each category:

Fiscal: 1

Regulatory: 22

Personal: 11

Economic: 1

Lawsuit: 34

Land: 19

Marriage: 16

Education: 2

Occupational: 46

Victimless: 8

Health insurance: 30

Labor: 12

Alcohol: 15

Asset Forfeiture: 10

Gambling: 24

Tobacco: 20

Guns: 39

Cannabis: 28

Cable: 1

Incarceration: 39

Travel: 19

Miscellaneous: 41

Campaign finance: 21

Florida retained the top spot from 2014. The authors noted that prosperous retirees notoriously flock to the state due to its lack of an individual income tax and warmer climate. But it also attracts other demographics because of its copious opportunities"afforded by Florida's freer society."

"Florida does especially well on economic freedom, especially on fiscal policy," the authors noted. "Indeed, it is our top state on both. Regulatory policy is improved but mediocre in comparison to the fiscal side. Florida’s personal freedom has lagged in the past; however, it has improved a lot over the past two years."

Measuring freedom is important because people value it, the authors wrote. The U.S. has made great strides when it comes to respecting an individual’s rights regardless of race, sex, age or sexual preference, but some people are facing increasing threats to their interests, the Cato Institute said

The report said groups seeing their personal liberties slide include smokers, builders, affordable housing buyers, aspiring professionals who want to ply a trade without paying “onerous examination and education costs,” and less-skilled workers who’ve been “priced out of the market by minimum wage laws.”

Here are the top 10 freest states, according to the Cato Institute report:

1. Florida
2. New Hampshire
3. Indiana
4. Colorado
5. Nevada
6. North Dakota
7. Tennessee
8. South Dakota
9. Arizona
10. Kansas

Florida and New Hampshire significantly outpaced the other top five states, the authors noted.

“Florida’s rise since 2009 has been nothing short of stunning,” the study said. “While most states have improved on freedom in that time if federalized policies are excluded, Florida’s post-2010 improvement has been the third-greatest in the United States (after Wisconsin and Alaska).”

States that have always performed well in the index — North Dakota, South Dakota,Arizona and Tennessee — once again found themselves in the top 10.

New York is the least free state, as it has been every year of the index since 2000. Hawaii has fallen far enough to put itself well under California, the authors wrote. New Jersey and Vermont rounded out the bottom five.

“New York has been the least free state in the country for a long time,” the study said. “Economic freedom is the most significant weakness, but the state has not kept up with the rest of the country on personal freedom either.”

Photo credit: Shutterstock