The Mercatus Center at George Mason University recently released Freedom in the 50 States. Here’s how they describe the index:

This study comprehensively ranks the American states on their public policies that affect individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres.

It updates and expands on the Center’s inaugural edition, published in 2009.

For Washington, the news is mixed. The state ranks No. 40, among the “least free” states.

Washington was among the states that improved the most in overall freedom and consequently moved up five spots in the rankings. Unfortunately for denizens of that state, it had—and still has—a long way to go. Washington is still among the 10 least-free states. Indeed, it only barely cracks the top half of states in personal freedom.

Follow the link and compare with other states.

As we’ve noted before, all of these studies combine objective data and subjective values. The Mercatus report does an excellent job of disclosing data sources, discussing the components of the index, and outlining the analysts’ thinking. From a research perspective, it’s a model of transparency.

Sometimes its useful to see how well the index conforms to perceptions. Well, let’s see.

The top 5 states are (in order): New Hamphsire, South Dakota, Indiana, Idaho, and Missouri.

The bottom 5: Massachusetts, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, and New York.

Anyone surprised?