Wyoming Gets a 'D' in Cato Freedom Report, Ranking 28th; Governor Gordon Earns a 'C'
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming received a "D" grade in the Cato Institute's 2026 edition of "Freedom in the 50 States," ranking 28th overall, Wyoming News reported.
The report scores states on 97 policy metrics across 10 categories of economic and personal freedom. Wyoming ranked 19th on economic freedom and 32nd on personal freedom. Governor Mark Gordon graded higher than his state, earning a "C" and 22nd place overall — 22nd on economic freedom and 29th on personal freedom.
Stephen Slivinski, a Cato senior fellow and the report's lead economist, said Wyoming's category scores vary sharply: occupational freedom ranks 4th, helped by the state's right-to-work law, while freedom from law-enforcement overreach ranks 49th and freedom of speech and association 47th. He also cited Wyoming's lack of anti-SLAPP protections among the factors pulling down the score.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：State capitol building, Cheyenne, Wyoming。Boston Public Library 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: State capitol building, Cheyenne, Wyoming. By Boston Public Library, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
