Libertarian Report Says Missouri One Of The Freest States In U.S.

MISSOURI — The Show-Me State has been ranked the 11th freest state in America, 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. The study is 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 freedom. Florida was crowned the freest state in America while New Hampshire and West Virginia have seen the most improvement in expanding personal liberties.

Missouri fell between Kansas and Georgia in the overall freedom rankings. Our best (or worst, depending on your perspective) rankings came in telecommunications and campaign finance regulations (we were also number 2 for alcohol regulation) and our worst marks fell in marijuana regulation and lawsuits.

Here’s how Missouri ranked in each category:

Fiscal: 12th
Regulatory: 27th
Personal: 19th
Economic: 16th
Lawsuit: 42nd
Land: 16th
Marriage: 28th (tie)
Education: 27th
Occupational: 17th
Victimless: 21st
Health insurance: 30th
Labor: 30th
Alcohol: 2nd
Asset Forfeiture: 4th
Gambling: 12th
Tobacco: 17th
Guns: 8th
Cannabis: 46th
Cable: 1st (tie)
Incarceration: 41st
Travel: 34th
Miscellaneous: 18th
Campaign finance: 1st (tie)

Missouri has maintained its spot at number 11 since 2014. Here’s what the authors had to say:

Missouri is one of the country’s freer states, but in recent years it has run the risk of falling back into the middle of the pack. Its slide in regulatory policy is most worrisome, especially because it is not merely relative but is absolute as well, including and excluding federalized policies.

Liberals and conservatives alike are sure to find something to love and hate in the report's recommendations. To maintain Missouri's spot on the list, the report's authors say the state should trim public spending, cut taxes, reform the state's occupational licensing system, and enact criminal justice reform.

Notably, Missouri jumped 18 spots since 2014 — from 26th to 8th — when it comes to gun rights. The state passed a controversial "stand your ground" law in 2016, began allowing residents to carry concealed handguns without a permit, and loosened background check requirements — all over the veto of then-Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. Those measures, among other things, made it easier for domestic abusers to keep their guns.

Cassandra Kercher Crifasi, a researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said the repeal led to a spike in murders and 70 percent more guns making their way to criminals across the state.

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Measuring freedom is important because people value it, the Cato Institute 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 think tank 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's 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.”

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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