The fourth-annual “Religious Liberty in the States” report, released by the First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy (CRCD), ranks Florida as the top state for protecting religious liberty, with a score of 74.6%.
The report, unveiled at an event with Gov. Ron DeSantis, evaluates 50 states based on 47 legal safeguards across six categories: government, health care, economic life, religious life, family, and education. These are aggregated into 20 safeguards to produce a single index score.
DeSantis highlighted the significance, stating, “Religious liberty is critical to the foundation and function of America, and I am proud that Florida excels in protecting this right.”
The report, conducted by First Liberty, the largest U.S. legal organization dedicated to defending religious liberty, aims to guide legislators and citizens in strengthening protections for religious exercise through state laws and constitutions.
State Rankings Highlight Disparities in Safeguards
Following Florida, the top five states include Montana (70.6%), Illinois (68.8%), Ohio (66.9%), and Mississippi (66.4%), reflecting robust statutory and constitutional protections.
In contrast, West Virginia ranked last for the third consecutive year with a score of 19.6%, despite passing a Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2023.
Other low-ranking states include Wyoming (23.3%), Michigan (27.4%), Nebraska (29.1%), and Vermont (29.3%).
The report notes that most states, with 38 scoring between 25% and 50%, have significant room for improvement, employing less than half of the measured safeguards.
Montana showed the greatest progress since 2022, improving its score by 31% through health care worker protections, while Idaho made the most gains since 2024, particularly in health care and family categories, demonstrating a trend toward enhanced safeguards in some states.
Report Urges Continued Efforts to Strengthen Religious Liberty
The CRCD’s findings emphasize the need for states to bolster religious liberty protections, as the majority fall short of fully implementing available safeguards.
The report’s methodology, focusing on specific legal provisions, provides a framework for policymakers to identify gaps in their state’s laws.
For instance, Florida’s high score reflects comprehensive measures across multiple categories, while West Virginia’s low ranking indicates limited protections despite recent legislative efforts.
First Liberty and CRCD intend for the report to serve as a resource for legislators and citizens, encouraging reforms to ensure robust religious liberty.
