HERE ARE THE 10 FREEST STATES IN THE U.S. (AND THE LEAST)

North Dakota is the freest state in the U.S., followed closely by South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma, according to the Mercatus Center at George Mason University’s third annual “Freedom in the 50 States.”

The 223-page report “scores all 50 states on their overall respect for individual freedom, and also on their respect for three dimensions of freedom considered separately: fiscal policy, regulatory policy, and personal freedom,” the study explains. Surprisingly, Texas did not make the top 10 and was ranked the 14th most free state.

“In order to calculate these scores, we weight public policies according to the estimated costs that government restrictions on freedom impose on their victims,” the report adds.
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