It is not a slogan. It is a measured, peer-reviewed ranking. The Cato Institute and the Fraser Institute both confirm what Granite Staters already know: New Hampshire is the freest state in America.
Independent, nonpartisan research that measures personal, economic, and regulatory freedom across all 50 states.
The Cato Institute has ranked New Hampshire #1 in overall freedom every year since 2011. The Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom of North America report ranked NH first for the 24th time in 2025. No other state comes close to this consistency.
Top-ranked in economic freedom by both the Cato Institute and the Fraser Institute. No income tax, no sales tax, low regulatory burden, and a business climate that attracts entrepreneurs and investment from across the country.
The Tax Foundation ranks New Hampshire 6th nationally in its State Business Tax Climate Index. Combined with no income or sales tax, this makes the Granite State one of the most competitive places in America to start and grow a business.
Same region. Same climate. Radically different policies -- and radically different results.
| Metric | NH | MA | VT | ME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | None | 5% | 8.75% | 7.15% |
| Sales Tax | None | 6.25% | 6% | 5.5% |
| Cato Freedom Rank | #1 | #30 | #23 | #22 |
| Poverty Rate | Lowest | Higher | Higher | Higher |
| Constitutional Carry | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| School Choice | Universal | Limited | Town | Town |
| Unemployment | Top 3 | Higher | Higher | Higher |
Freedom is not just a philosophy. It produces measurable, superior outcomes.
"New Hampshire's combination of low taxes, light regulation, and strong property rights has made it the freest state in the United States for over a decade."-- Fraser Institute, Economic Freedom of North America 2025
New Hampshire has the lowest poverty rate in America. Not because of massive welfare programs, but because low taxes and light regulation create an economy where people can actually get ahead. Less government means more opportunity.
When government trusts citizens to make their own decisions -- about education, self-defense, their businesses, their bodies -- people thrive. New Hampshire proves that freedom and prosperity are not in tension. They are the same thing.
Every state faces the same choice: more government control or more individual liberty. New Hampshire chose liberty, and the results are in. The Granite State is a blueprint for what the rest of America could be.
So who are the real extremists -- the people who built the freest, most prosperous state in America, or the ones who want to tear it down?