Study Finds North Dakota Is The "Freest" State In The Union

According to George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, North Dakota is the freest state in the nation:

The “Freedom in the 50 States” study measured economic and personal freedom using a wide range of criteria, including tax rates, government spending and debt, regulatory burdens, and state laws covering land use, union organizing, gun control, education choice and more.

It found that the freest states tended to be conservative “red” states, while the least free were liberal “blue” states.

The freest state overall, the researchers concluded, was North Dakota, followed by South Dakota, Tennessee, New Hampshire and Oklahoma. The least free state by far was New York, followed by California, New Jersey, Hawaii and Rhode Island.

The study also found a strong correlation between “red states” and population growth. From 2000 to 2011, population in “red states” have grown over 2%, where as the population in “blue states” has shrunk.

That’s called “voting with your feet.”

But to North Dakota specifically, I wonder, do you readers think the state has earned the title as the freest state in the nation?