The Most ‘Free’ States In The Country

We’ve posted before on the top conservative and liberal cities in the United States, the lowest to highest taxes by state, and even polled you for the most pro and anti constitution states, now we ask the question – how free is your state?

Different people value aspects of freedom differently, however I recently came across this rank ordered list of states from the Mercatus Center – George Mason University.

The overall ranking is a combination of freedoms from categories including fiscal, regulatory, personal, economic, liability, property rights, tax burden, and many more.

The top five most free states (according to their weighting methodology)
North and South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.

The least free states (according to their weighting methodology)
Rhode Island, Hawaii, New Jersey, California, and New York.

 
1. North Dakota
2. South Dakota
3. Tennessee
4. New Hampshire
5. Oklahoma
6. Idaho
7. Missouri
8. Virginia
9. Georgia
10. Utah
11. Arizona
12. Montana
13. Alaska
14. Texas
15. South Carolina
16. Indiana
17. Delaware
18. Alabama
19. Colorado
20. Nevada
21. New Mexico
22. Nebraska
23. Florida
24. North Carolina
25. Iowa
26. Kansas
27. Kentucky
28. Oregon
29. Washington
30. Massachusetts
31. Pennsylvania
32. Arkansas
33. Ohio
34. Minnesota
35. Michigan
36. Wyoming
37. Louisiana
38. Wisconsin
39. Maine
40. Connecticut
41. Mississippi
42. West Virginia
43. Vermont
44. Maryland
45. Illinois
46. Rhode Island
47. Hawaii
48. New Jersey
49. California
50. New York

 
What do you think about this list? Does it seem reasonable based on your notions of freedom coupled with your experiences or knowledge of these locations?

If you were unshackled, where would be your preferred destination for freedom?