Which State is the Most Libertarian?

Several years ago, I began seriously contemplating a career change and I started to wonder which state might be the best to live in from a libertarian perspective.  My first cut is here. Below is the latest version with added data.  Sources and the rating system are at the bottom of the page.   Be sure and visit the Free State Project, the Free West Alliance and the Free State Wyoming sites as well.


State
Income Tax?
Sales Tax?
Concealed Carry?
Supermajority to raise taxes?
Fiream Laws Pre-emption?
Think tank?
Ballot Initiatives?
Cato Fiscal Policy Report Card (2002)
Home schooling regulations
Sep Density (per million)
% of State owned by Fed
Overall Rating
Alabama
Y
Y
B-
N
Y
Alabama Policy Institute
N
D
M
70.5 5.9
2
Alaska
N
N
C-
N
Y
None
Yes
N/A
L
145.8 XXX
4
Arizona
Y
Y
D+
Y
Y
Goldwater Institute
Yes
D
M
100.3 44.3
4
Arkansas
Y
Y
C-
Y
Y
Arkansas Policy Foundation
Yes
C
H
85.8 15.3
3
California
Y
Y
B
Y
Y
California Public Policy Foundation
Pacific Research Institute
Reason Foundation
Yes
F
M
129.5 49.9
3
Colorado
Y
Y
C+
Y
N
Independence Institute
Center for the New West
Yes
B
M
115.8
38.9
2
Connecticut
Y
Y
C+
N
N
The Yankee Institute
N
B
H
43.1 0.6
1
Delaware
Y
N
B-
Y
Y
None
N
D
M
79.5 2.5
4
Florida
N
Y
D+
Y
Y
Florida Citizens for a Sound Economy
James Madison Institute
Yes
B
M
35.6 15.5
5
Georgia
Y
Y
F
N
Y
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
N
C
M
64.7 8.8
3
Hawaii
Y
Y
B-
N
N
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
N
B
M
72.5 18.4
0
Idaho
Y
Y
F
N
Y
Idaho Family Forum
Yes
C
L
83.4 65.2
3
Illinois
Y
Y
A
N
N
Heartland Institute
Illinois Citizens for a Sound Economy
N
D
L
28.6 3.0
1
Indiana
Y
Y
F
N
Y
Hudson Institute
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
N
B
L
35.5 3.2
3
Iowa
Y
Y
B+
N
Y
Council for Agricultural Science & Technology
Public Interest Institute
N
F
M
25.7 2.1
2
Kansas
Y
Y
A
N
N
Kansas Public Policy Institute
Kansas Taxpayers Network
N
B
M
35.9 1.1
1
Kentucky
Y
Y
C-
N
Y
Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions
N
B
M
35.5 11.4
1
Louisiana
Y
Y
C-
Y
Y
Louisiana Citizens for a Sound Economy
N
D
M
16.6 8.0
3
Maine
Y
Y
C-
N
Y
Maine Public Policy Institute
Yes
C
H
63.6 1.2
3
Maryland
Y
Y
B
N
Y
The Calvert Institute
N
D
M
42.4 2.1
2
Massachusetts
Y
Y
B
N
N
The Beacon Hill Institute
Pioneer Institute
Yes
A
H
38.7 1.7
2
Michigan
Y
Y
B
N
Y
Acton Institute
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Yes
B
L
36.2 15.8
2
Minnesota
Y
Y
B+
N
Y
Center of the American Experiment
Minnesota Family Council
N
B
H
187.9 12.9
1
Mississippi
Y
Y
D
Y
Y
Mississippi Family Council
Yes
N/A
M
20.0 10.5
4
Missouri
Y
Y
A
Y
Y
Center of the Study of American Business
Yes
N/A
L
43.8 8.9
4
Montana
Y
N
F
N
Y
Political Economy Research Center
Yes
D
M
59.8 31.9
4
Nebraska
Y
Y
A
N
N
None
Yes
C
M
25.7 2.3 2
Nevada
N
Y
D
Y
Y
Nevada Policy Research Institute
Yes
A
H
73.2 87.6
5
New Hampshire
N
N
F
N
N
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
N
C
M
155.0 15.1
3
New Jersey
Y
Y
A-
N
Y
Dumont Institute
New Jersey Citizens for a Sound Economy
Public Affairs Research Institute of New Jersey
N
C
L
24.4
2.7
2
New Mexico
Y
Y
A
N
Y
New Mexico Independence Research Institute
Rio Grande Foundation
N
B
M
51.6 36.2
1
New York
Y
Y
B
N
N
Business Council of New York State, Inc.
Empire Foundation for Policy Research
Manhatten Institute
New York Citizens for a Sound Economy
N
B
H
26.9
0.4
1
North Carolina
Y
Y
C-
N
Y
The John Locke Foundation
North Carolina Citizens for a Sound Economy
N
C
M
33.6 14.2
1
North Dakota
Y
Y
F
N
Y
None
Yes
C
H
34.3
7.3
3
Ohio
Y
Y
A
N
N
Buckeye Institute
Ohio Roundtable
Yes
D
M
41.1 2.6
2
Oklahoma
Y
Y
C-
Y
N
Oklahoma Citizens for a Sound Economy
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Yes
C
L
28.4 3.6
3
Oregon
Y
N
D
Y
Y
Cascade Policy Institute
Oregon Citizens for a Sound Economy
Yes
F
M
96.8 55.5
5
Pennsylvania
Y
Y
F
N
Y
The Commonwealth Foundation
Allegheny Institute for Public Policy
Pennsylvania Leadership Council
N
B
H
51.7 3.4
3
Rhode Island
Y
Y
B-
N
Y
Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council
N
C
M
37.4 0.6
2
South Carolina
Y
Y
D+
N
Y
South Carolina Policy Council
N
C
M
71.1 10.7
2
South Dakota
N
Y
F
Y
Y
Great Plains Public Policy Institute
Yes
B
M
56.2 8.7
6
Tennessee
N
Y
D+
N
Y
None
N
D
M
37.3 7.6
4
Texas
N
Y
C-
N
Y
Institute for Policy Innovation
Texas Citizens for a Sound Economy
Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Today Foundation
N
B
L
41.8 3.7
3
Utah
Y
Y
D-
N
Y
Sutherland Institute
Yes
D
H
135.3 67.9
3
Vermont
Y
Y
F-
N
Y
Ethan Allen Institute
N
C
H
88.9 14.2
2
Virginia
Y
Y
D-
N
Y
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Public Service Research Foundation
Thomas Jefferson Institute
Virginia Citizens for a Sound Economy
Virginia Institute for Public Policy
N
C
M
68.1
15.7
2
Washington
N
Y
F
Y
Y
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
Washington Citizens for a Sound Economy
Washington Institute Foundation
Washington Research Council
Yes
B
M
75.9 32.8
5
West Virginia
Y
Y
D-
N
Y
Bureau of Business & Economic Research
N
C
H
22.4 13.6
2
Wisconsin
Y
Y
A
N
Y
Wisconsin Policy Research Institute
N
C
M
49.6
7.3
2
Wyoming
N
Y
D-
N
Y
 None
Yes
C
M
97.9 49.7
4


States by Ranked by Rating


Rating States
7 None
6 South Dakota
5 Florida, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington
4 Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wyoming
3 Arkansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah
2 Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
1 Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina
0 Hawaii



Ratings

 
Rating Source
Income and Sales tax and supermajority requirements Americans for Tax Reform
Concealed carry rating Handgun Control, Inc.
Also check out this alternate rating guide put out by the Citizen's Committee for the right to Keep and Bear Arms.
For more information, check out the NRA 's Right-to-Carry Fact Sheet and Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Guide
Pre-emption laws National Rifle Association
Ballot Initiatives Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
Cato Rating for governor Cato Policy Analysis No. 391.  Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2000, by Stephen Moore and Stephen Slivinski (February 12, 2001)
Home schooling regulations The Economist, 6/6-12/98 (from Home School Legal Defense Association)
Rate per million of Separation signers Separation of School & State Alliance (current as of 2/28/03)
Percentage of state owned by Federal Government State by State Government Land Ownership table, by National Wilderness Institute


Scoring

A state receives a 1 for any of the following:  no sales tax, no income tax, a supermajority requirement to raise taxes, a concealed carry rating of D+ or lower, firearms pre-emption laws, ballot initiatives or less than 10 percent land owned by the Federal Government.  The highest possible score is a 7.  The highest score achieved by any state was a 6 and only one state, South Dakota, got that rating.  The lowest score was a zero and one state received that:  Hawaii.

The other columns, think tank, Cato governor rating, home schooling regulations, and Separation rate, were not considered significant enough to warrant a plus or minus.

Future ratings might include percentage of voters who are libertarian, and percentage of voters who voted Libertarian in the last presidential election.

Miscellaneous

Some criterion were applicable to so few states or were so minor that they weren't included.  For example, Nevada is the only state that has None of the Above (NOTA) on all ballots.  Information on state switchblade laws is here.  It is illegal to give tattoos in Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Massachusetts ( ref ).

Only the latest fiscal policy report card from the Cato Institute is included in the table above.  Click here to see all the report cards done so far.


This page was last updated on January 28, 2005.
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