Maryland barely made it to the list, scraping by at 15th in the nation for independence. The state has a healthy score of 56.68. It's not amazing, but it's not bad by any means!
When you look at the numbers, Maryland does well regarding international trade dependence, coming in at number seven. However, moving to things like government dependence and job market dependency, it ranks 36th and 35th, respectively.
North Carolina fairs slightly better, ranking number 14 out of 50. Boasting 56.79 as its overall score, North Carolina should hold its head up proudly.
Its job market dependence is a high rank of 8 and government assistance stands at 10. However, when it comes to financial dependence, the ranking takes a nosedive, ending up at 35th in the nation. I guess it could be worse!
I don't think anyone could disagree with the fact that New Jersey has a mean independent streak running right through it. They rank as the 13th most independent state in the nation with a total score of 56.93.
There are plenty of vices to be had in the Garden State, but apparently, no one is that interested in them. New Jersey ranks best in the nation for (lack of) vice dependency. However, it placed at number 49 for job-market dependency, which is no surprise considering the state's proximity to NYC.
Minnesota is another state that can claim being pretty independent. The state has an overall score of 57.70. Minnesota boasts numbers that never rank below 33rd in the nation!
In fact, the state sits at #1 in the nation in terms of financial dependence—I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T! It also ranks in the top 10 (#7) for job market dependency. What brings its overall rank down is international trade dependency, which it comes in 33rd for.
Montana makes it onto the list of most independent states at number 11, with a total score of 57.79. Interestingly enough, its numbers are all over the place, but they even out to a pretty decent ranking.
Montana is almost entirely independent of international trade, and it shows, as it ranks first in that category. However, its other stats are pretty mixed, with the state extremely low for things like government dependency and vice dependency.
Iowa wraps up the top 10 states for independence. With a total score of 57.88, the state showcases both high rankings and low rankings.
It ranks 3rd for government dependence and 4th for job market dependence—impressive! Something the state should be proud of. However, when it comes to international trade dependency, it sinks low, sitting at 38th in the nation.
Wisconsin—come for the cheese, stay for the independence. This humble midwestern state does great when it comes to independence, with a national ranking of number nine and a total score of 58.31.
Wisconsin is most independent when it comes to government dependency, with a national ranking of number 11. However, it didn't do great when it came to all other categories, ranking very mid-line for each one.
Massachusetts ranks in the top 10 in the overall rankings with a total score of 58.95. You won't find more independence almost anywhere in the country!
The Bay State had high rankings for both financial independence (#2) and vice independence (#4). What really brought Massachusetts down was its international trade dependency and job-market dependency rankings of 32nd and 34th, respectively.
If you live in Idaho, you should be pleasantly surprised at how well the Gem State does on independence. They rank seventh in the nation for independence, with a total score of 59.02.
Idaho dominated the competition when it came to international trade dependency, with an overall ranking of number two. Things don't look too good for Idaho's financial independence, though. Here, Idaho ranked a disappointing 37th.
People like to dog on California, but if it's independence you seek, you could actually do a lot worse than the Golden State, believe it or not. California comes in at number 6 for the most independent states, with a total score of 59.51.
The state does best when it comes to vice dependency, ranking number eight in the nation. However, other categories seriously hurt their overall score, such as job market dependency, which ranked number 30.
Considering it was such an important place for the start of our country's independence, you would hope that Virginia still ranks high in that category. And they do! Old Dominion comes in at number five in the nation with a total score of 60.47.
Like some other states, Virginia has some high highs and low lows when it comes to the rankings. While they're number six in the nation for financial independence, they used to be almost at the bottom of the barrel for job market dependency—41st. However great efforts have brought them to 13th recently!
Nothing says independence like living in a cabin in the Pacific Northwest. All of Washington State might not be so idyllic, but it is a very independent state, with a national ranking of 4th place and an overall score of 61.00.
Folks seem to be good with their money in the Evergreen State, as Washington comes in at number four in the nation for financial independence. However, the state's overall score was hurt by the fact that it ranked 19th in terms of job market dependency.
Florida catches a lot of flak for its seemingly endless supply of crazy people, but at least those crazies are independent! The state comes in at number three in the nation and has a total score of 61.63.
Their best score is in international trade dependency, ranking eighth. They rank 13th for vice dependency. On the other end of the spectrum, their worst score is in financial dependence, ranking 25th.
Colorado was so close to the number one spot on this list, but they just barely missed out. However, being the second most independent state in the Union is nothing to be ashamed of! They still dominated the competition with an impressive total score of 64.79.
The Centennial State had pretty consistent rankings across the board for financial independence, government dependency, and international trade independence, where they ranked #5, #8, and #6, respectively. What really hurt them was vice dependency, where they (unsurprisingly) ranked number 24.
We don't want to take away from Utah's well-deserved ranking as the most independent state in the nation. But be honest—would you have ever in a million years guessed that they would come out on top? Their total score was the best in the US at 67.82.
The Beehive State was number one for job market independence, number one for government independence, and number five for vice independence. The other states just didn't stand a chance with multiple high scores like these!
Ohio kicks off the bottom 15 for least independent states in the nation. With a national independence ranking of 36th in the nation, their total score of 50.51 is just nothing to be proud of.
The Buckeye State's worst ranking came from vice dependency, which places them at number 44. However, there were a few higher scores in there for the state, such as government independence, for which they rank 17th.
Things aren't looking too good for Illinois. The Land of Lincoln comes in with a low total score of just 50.15. It's not the worst on this list, but it could be much, much better!
Illinois' worst rating comes for dependence on job market, for which they rank 44th. However, international trade dependency isn't much better for the state either—for this, they come in at number 43.
Maine’s numbers look pretty medial—nothing too high or low. The state scores an overall 50.04. It’s not something they should be proud of, but we’ve seen worse.
Its best rankings are in financial independence and international trade dependency: both are #20 in the nation. On the other end of the scale, they aren’t doing too hot in the government dependence department—45th in the nation.
This has to be a mistake, right? How can Texas of all places not be one of the most independent states? As strange as it sounds, they ranked 39th in the nation for independence with a total score of 49.38.
Texas scores worst where international trade is concerned. They ranked 49th for this—almost the worst in the nation. However, they do better when it comes to vices and job market, ranking 17th in both.
Michigan opens up the bottom ten with a ranking of number 40 in the nation. The Great Lake State had a total score of just 48.25, which was one of the worst in the entire United States.
Michigan's biggest drawback is definitely its dependence on international trade. They ranked 46th in the nation for that. The state's best ranking (which still isn't great) comes from financial independence, for which they rank 19th.
New Mexico may have plenty of beautiful desert landscapes, but they could definitely use a little more independence! They come in at number 41 in the nation with a total score of just 47.23.
What really hurt New Mexico was three bottom of the barrel rankings for financial dependence, government dependence, and job market—47th, 48th, and 47th. However, on the flip side, New Mexico has an amazing international trade dependency ranking of number three.
The great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee answer to no one, but the same can't be said about the citizens of the state. The Volunteer State ranked 42nd out of the 50 states with a total independence score of 46.71.
Tennessee really needs to get its vices in check, because that's the area where the state ranked worst—46 out of 50. However, Tennessee's number 21 ranking for job market dependency means that it's not all doom and gloom in the state.
Indiana may be in the middle of the United States, but when it comes to independence, they're near the bottom of the pack with a ranking of 43. Their total independence score only came in at 46.34.
Indiana's worst ranking comes from international trade dependency, where they came in at number 45. However, when it comes to the domestic job market, they did much better than the rest of the country with a ranking of number 10.
Alabama just barely made it out of the bottom five, with a national ranking of 44th when it comes to independence. The Cotton State had a poor performance with one of the smallest total scores in the nation—42.80.
None of the state's individual scores were particularly great, but their worst comes from financial dependence and vices where they rank 45th. Their highest score comes from government dependence, but at 35th, it's still nothing to be proud of.
Things aren't looking too great for independence in South Carolina. With a ranking of 45th, you can't do much worse anywhere else in the nation. The state ended up with a low total score of 41.71.
When it comes to government dependency, South Carolina is one of worst, coming in at number 43. The best ranking South Carolina can claim is 18th in job market dependency, which is pretty decent seeing as how far down the list the state is ranked.
When it comes to the battle of the Virginias, OG Virginia handily beats West Virginia in terms of independence. The Mountain State disappointed us all with a ranking of 46th in the nation and a total score of just 44.59.
Of all their poor individual scores, the worst comes from government dependency, for which they ranked 49th. Their ranking for international trade dependency is just 19th, making it the highest score for West Virginia.
Considering how far away they are from the rest of us, you'd think that Alaska answered to no one. But that's not the case! The Last Frontier came in a disappointing 47th out of 50 with a total score of 40.11.
Alaska is in the bottom five for more than half of the individual rankings, including government dependency (50th), international trade dependency (44th), and vice dependency (42nd). On the other hand, they did rank at a respectable number 21 for financial independence.
With a ranking of 48th out of 50 and a total score of just 36.28, you can hardly do worse when it comes to being independent.
The state is the worst when it comes to dependency on international trade, with a ranking of 50. While their other scores aren't as bad, when combined, they add up to create one of the worst states for independence in the nation.
Poor Mississippi just can't seem to catch a break. Everyone has something bad to say about them, and they also ranked very poorly in terms of independence. At 49th in the nation and with a total score of 35.74, it's hard to do worse than the Hospitality State.
Mississippi has not one but two rock bottom rankings. They came in at number 50 for both financial dependency and vice dependency. Their best score (international trade dependency) didn't even crack the top 35.
Well, every competition has to have a loser, right? Unfortunately for Louisiana, they're the worst of the worst this time. With a ranking of 50th out of 50 and a total score of just 35.11, you can't do worse when it comes to being independent.
All of Louisiana's individual rankings are hovering around the 40s, with the worst being financial dependency (49th) and the best being government dependency (39th). Those numbers don't look too good!
