2026 Competitiveness Redbook | Page 36

TABLE 28 Source: Cato Institute
Economic, Fiscal, and Regulatory Freedom( 2022)
Economic Freedom
Score
Fiscal Policy Score
Regulatory
Rank
Rank
Policy Score
Rank
1 New Hampshire
0.71
0.45
2
0.05
17
2 Florida
0.57
0.45
1
0.03
23
3 South Dakota
0.52
0.31
3
0.13
3
4 Nevada
0.51
0.22
6
0.02
26
5 Arizona
0.44
0.16
10
0.04
21
6 Tennessee
0.38
0.30
4
0.05
19
7 Michigan
0.31
0.15
11
0.07
12
8 Missouri
0.30
0.17
8
-0.02
30
9 Georgia
0.28
0.17
9
0.07
11
10 Indiana
0.27
0.09
21
0.09
8
11 North Dakota
0.26
0.12
12
0.07
10
12 Virginia
0.24
0.07
25
0.05
18
13 Wisconsin
0.24
0.08
23
0.08
9
14 Idaho
0.23
0.12
14
0.12
5
15 Alaska
0.23
0.12
15
0.02
25
16 Wyoming
0.23
0.12
13
0.11
6
17 Texas
0.22
0.20
7
0.05
20
18 Pennsylvania
0.20
0.22
5
-0.09
37
19 Colorado
0.20
0.11
17
0.00
28
20 Montana
0.19
0.11
19
-0.07
35
21 Ohio
0.16
0.11
16
-0.02
31
22 Utah
0.16
-0.01
33
0.10
7
23 Oklahoma
0.15
0.07
24
0.01
27
24 North Carolina
0.14
0.05
27
0.02
24
25 Kansas
0.12
-0.08
38
0.16
1
26 Massachusetts
0.12
0.11
18
-0.13
39
27 Arkansas
0.11
0.03
30
0.07
14
28 Kentucky
0.11
0.04
29
0.07
13
29 South Carolina
0.08
0.01
32
0.06
16
30 Alabama
0.08
0.02
31
0.03
22
31 Louisiana
0.08
0.05
26
-0.03
32
32 West Virginia
0.07
-0.06
37
0.00
29
33 Connecticut
0.07
0.10
20
-0.13
40
34 Iowa
0.07
-0.15
43
0.14
2
35 New Mexico
0.04
-0.08
39
-0.08
36
36 Rhode Island
0.01
0.09
22
-0.18
42
37 Washington
0.01
0.04
28
-0.14
41
38 Nebraska
-0.02
-0.17
45
0.13
4
39 Illinois
-0.05
-0.04
36
-0.10
38
40 Mississippi
-0.05
-0.13
42
0.06
15
41 Minnesota
-0.06
-0.11
40
-0.04
34
42 Vermont
-0.19
-0.18
46
-0.20
43
43 Maine
-0.20
-0.13
41
-0.30
45
44 Delaware
-0.23
-0.22
47
-0.04
33
45 Maryland
-0.34
-0.03
35
-0.38
47
46 Oregon
-0.40
-0.17
44
-0.33
46
47 New Jersey
-0.42
-0.01
34
-0.46
50
48 California
-0.58
-0.26
48
-0.45
49
49 Hawaii
-0.72
-0.53
50
-0.22
44
50 New York
-0.77
-0.45
49
-0.39
48
Washington’ s economic, fiscal, and regulatory freedom ranked 37th, 28th, and 41st, respectively, among all states in 2022.