No matter what other criteria are measured there is no state where you can truly be free and out from under their thumb as long as you can't own property free and clear. Every state in the union has a property tax, which means that you can never fully own your property since you will need to pay off the state every year for the right to reside on your own property. Fail to pay your property taxes and they will take the whole parcel. This means you can never escape their grip or their system without paying the protection money. You can't be self sufficient and left alone anywhere.
http://taxes.about.com/od/statetaxes/a/p...

I'm surprised Wyoming ranked so low.

The funny thing about the insane regulations on firearms and tobacco, is that CT was THE place for firearms mfg. At least Colt is still here. Second, Cuban cigars were wrapped in CT tobacco leaves, and they were considered to be the finest. The empty tobacco barns attest to the fact that the Cuban trade is, of course, deceased.

Wow, Oregon is really in the negative real estate zone.

iI live in Oklahoma and I am glad to see my state in good standing on here!

Well, I can only evaluate this in terms of South Carolina. Seems odd that the state gets a low mark for spending too much on healthcare. This is largely a personal choice, and with a fairly significant number of snowbirds who retire here, it is logical to assume they will go to the doctor more often than younger folks. The article mentions requirements on home-schoolers, but failed to take into account the rapidly growing number of public charter schools and the virtual charter school system, which give parents, who cannot afford private school for their children, decent alternatives to the regular public schools. In general, though, I do agree with the author that the State places too many requirements on schools. South Carolina has the second toughest graduation requirements among the states, which is one reason the drop-out rate is very high. The geniuses in Columbia keep trying to improve the graduation rate by adding required Carnegie units and making the exit exam tougher. Of course, the effect is to INCREASE the drop-out rate. Duh.

Nice website. Missouri is much better than I expected.

Fascinating. Spot on analysis of my state, Vermont.

hmm, I grew up in Wisconsin and spent most of the last decade working in Illinois. I was in Boston for a while and Now am in Washington State. First, the rankings of Wi. and Il. are pretty much spot on. I know that outside of Boston the rest of Ma. is a completely different state, especially as you get closer to the NH. border. I also spent a bunch of quality time in NH. ( mostly to get away from Ma. ) I really liked it up there, but my wife would not. Ok, we are also pretty tired of snow. Right now she is working at getting experience in chocolateering, and patisserie in a place that will look really good on her resume, along with her picking up some pretty top notch skills. So, in 24 months we will be looking seriously at a move to Tx. I am a Linux guy and Austin while not perfect is probably the best city in the country for someone with my skill set, and my wife will be able to write her own check there. I am also seriously considering the idea of leaving the tech industry and opening a Chicago Style pizza place ( a few years have been spent on crust perfection 8^) ) When I do that Austin is the place I would like to be, they like good food, can afford it and the local regs will not make starting impossible.

Thanks for posting. Now I have tool for determining which state will best suit my needs.