Kansas is #1
No, I'm not talking about the mighty Kansas Jayhawks in college basketball (although that would be a great guess). Instead, the Pacific Research Institute and the Heritage Foundation have found Kansas to be the most economically free state in the Union. From an article($ req'd) in the Wall Street Journal explaining the 2004 Economic Freedom Index: bq. The Index uses five categories -- fiscal, regulatory, judicial, government size and welfare -- to measure and compare economic freedom in the 50 states. Among the variables are tax rates, state spending, occupation licensing, environmental regulations, income redistribution, right-to-work laws, minimum wage and tort law. Co-author Lawrence McQuillian writes that Kansas won the top spot "largely due to its respect for property rights: It engages in less income redistribution and attracts less tort litigation than most states." bq. If all states were as free as Kansas, the annual income of the average American worker would increase 4.42%, or $1,161. Over a 40-year period, that would add $87,541 to a lifetime income. Below I've listed the states at the top and bottom of the index. Notice the 2004 Election Redness of the Top 10 and the Blueness of the Bottom 10.
| Top 10 | State |
| 1 | Kansas |
| 2 | Colorado |
| 3 | Virginia |
| 4 | Idaho |
| 5 | Utah |
| 6 | Oklahoma |
| 7 | New Hampshire |
| 8 | Delaware |
| 9 | Wyoming |
| 10 | Missouri |
| Bottom 10 | State |
| 41 | Massachusetts |
| 42 | New Jersey |
| 43 | Ohio |
| 44 | Minnesota |
| 45 | Pennsylvania |
| 46 | Illinois |
| 47 | Rhode Island |
| 48 | Connecticut |
| 49 | California |
| 50 | New York |
