Delaware ranks at the bottom among all states and Canadian provinces when it comes to economic freedom, according Canada’s Fraser Institute think tank. The video above showed New York at the bottom of the list, while the report itself listed Delaware. .
The list also included states in Mexico, which ranked below their Canadian and American counterparts.
All states and provinces were rated on a 10-point scale at two levels, the subnational and the all-government. The subnational index captures the impact of restrictions by state or provincial and local governments, according to the report The all-government index also includes restrictions by the federal government.
In the world-adjusted all-government index, the top three jurisdictions are Canadian, with Alberta at 8.1 in the first place and British Columbia at 7.9 in second and Saskatchewan at 7.8, tied for third with New Hampshire.
The report is based on data from 2013 and the institute noted that province of Alberta has since made a number of policy and regulatory changes. Not mentioned was the election of a new prime minister whose is expected to have less of a free market focus than his predecessor.
The ranking took into account government spending, taxes and labor market freedom, a possible reference to the lack of right to work laws.
Delaware sees varying rankings in economic indices, with the state’s high personal income tax often viewed as a drawback and the lack of a sales tax as a plus.
