Where freedom lies

Wyoming, with no personal income tax and very few gun laws, should at face value be among the nation’s most free states. In some aspects, it is. Wyoming ranked first in the nation for the right to choose one’s own health insurance and in the top 10 for gun rights, tobacco use and occupational freedom. In other areas, like campaign finance regulation, Wyoming is also considered among the nation’s least-regulated states.

However, regulation in other areas – particularly in education (ranked 44th on the freedom index) – and the degree in which Wyoming incarcerates people (45th) has assisted in tanking the state’s freedom score.

The report also noted the state’s land-use freedom, lack of minimum wage and a right-to-work law as shining examples of the economic liberties employers may find when they come to Wyoming. However, Wyoming also has some policies that, in the eyes of the Cato Institute, make it less free, including anti-discrimination laws that go beyond the federal minimum and poor laws around cannabis use.