Granite State also ranked No. 1 overall in 2014
Published 8:19 AM EDT Aug 17, 2016
(flickr Creative Commons/jcbwalsh)
MANCHESTER, N.H. —Residents of a state whose motto is "Live Free or Die" may not be too surprised to learn where it ranks on the list of the states with the most freedom in the U.S.
New Hampshire finished No. 1 overall, according to new rankings compiled by The Cato Institute. The state also ranked No. 1 in 2014, the last time the organization released its "Freedom in the 50 States" report.
The institute weighed factors like fiscal policy, regulatory policy and personal freedom.
According to the rankings, New Hampshire is No. 1 for its fiscal policies, including taxes, government employment, spending and debt.
Rounding out the top 5 are Alaska, Oklahoma, Indiana and South Dakota.
The New England states did not rank as high as the Granite State on this list, with Massachusetts (No. 33), Vermont (No. 40), Maine (No. 42), Rhode Island (No. 43) and Connecticut (No. 45) all finishing in the bottom half of the rankings.
New York is considered the least-free state in the U.S., according to the report.