Freedom trail.

• Position: TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS - Brief article

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a market-oriented think tank, has ranked states based on their "public policies that affect individual freedoms in the economic, social and personal spheres." New Hampshire, the "Live Free or Die" state, came out on top, while the Empire State came in last, according to the center's criteria. It considered more than 150 policies, from alcohol to taxes, education to utilities and everything in between.

1. New Hampshire

2. South Dakota

3. Indiana

4. Idaho

5. Missouri

6. Nevada

7. Colorado

8. Oregon

9. Virginia

10. North Dakota

11. Florida

12. Oklahoma

13. Iowa

14. Texas

15. Georgia

16. Tennessee

17. Kansas

18. North Carolina

19. Alabama

20. Utah

21. Wyoming

22. Arizona

23. Nebraska

24. Mississippi

25. Wisconsin

26. South Carolina

27. Michigan

28. Arkansas

29. Montana

30. Vermont

31. Pennsylvania

32. Kentucky

33. Maine

34. Minnesota

35. Louisiana

36. West Virginia

37. New Mexico

38. Connecticut

39. Delaware

40. Washington

41. Illinois

42. Ohio

43. Maryland

44. Alaska

45. Rhode Island

46. Massachusetts

47. Hawaii

48. California

49. New Jersey

50. New York