The Cato Institute has published their annual ranking of the most and least free states

The analysis showed that the least free states were - as in previous years - New York, Hawaii and California

The freest states were New Hampshire, Florida and Nevada, with the rankings again remaining unchanged, year on year

States were then ranked by their freedom in 23 categories including education, health insurance, economic freedom, marriage, marijuana and guns

William Ruger and Jason Sorens, the authors, conclude that 'for the average American, freedom has declined generally' 

They find Americans to be less free 'because of federal policy that includes encroachment on policies that states controlled 20 years ago'