More Economic Freedom = Lower Jobless Rate – South Dakota Ranked #1, Idaho #2

The Pacific Research Institute (PRI) http://liberty.pacificresearch.org , a free-market think tank based in California, recently released the U.S. Economic Freedom Index: 2008 Report, a ranking of economic freedom in the 50 states. Published in association with Forbes, the Index scores states based on 143 variables, including regulatory and fiscal obstacles imposed on businesses and residents.

South Dakota, which ranked 15 in 2004 (the last time the Index was published), has assumed the notable spot as the nation’s most economically free state, while New York consistently remains the most economically oppressed state, ranking 50 in all three editions of the Index.

By: Mark J. Perry

Full Story: http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/press/more-economic-freedom-lower-jobless-rate