With all states having at least partially reopened as new COVID-19 cases have seen a slow decline, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released updated rankings for the States with the Fewest Coronavirus Restrictions.
To identify which states have the fewest coronavirus restrictions, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 14 key metrics. Our data set ranges from whether child-care programs and restaurants have reopened to the presence or absence of a “shelter-in-place” order.
The Carolinas have significantly decreased their restrictions over the past month, with both states now ranking among the top half of the least restrictive states in the nation. South Carolina came in at #14, 5 spots higher than on May 19th (when they were #19), and North Carolina came in at #21, 15 spots higher than on May 19th (when they were #36).
States with the Fewest COVID-19 Restrictions
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Delta in Overall Rank vs. May 19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 92.29 | 0 |
| 2 | North Dakota | 75.59 | 7 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 73.89 | -1 |
| 4 | Idaho | 67.08 | -1 |
| 4 | Utah | 67.08 | 1 |
| 6 | Missouri | 64.79 | -2 |
| 7 | Alaska | 64.17 | 10 |
| 8 | Montana | 63.37 | -1 |
| 9 | Wyoming | 62.36 | -3 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 59.86 | 3 |
| 11 | Iowa | 58.40 | -1 |
| 12 | Florida | 55.63 | 5 |
| 13 | Arizona | 55.31 | -5 |
| 14 | South Carolina | 54.44 | 5 |
| 15 | Texas | 54.41 | -3 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 53.96 | 4 |
| 17 | Alabama | 53.33 | -6 |
| 18 | Kansas | 52.57 | 3 |
| 19 | Louisiana | 50.56 | 10 |
| 20 | Arkansas | 48.82 | -6 |
| 21 | North Carolina | 48.54 | 15 |
| 22 | Kentucky | 48.44 | 14 |
| 23 | West Virginia | 46.94 | -9 |
| 24 | Indiana | 46.60 | -8 |
| 25 | Michigan | 45.83 | 16 |
| 26 | Nevada | 45.76 | 1 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 45.56 | 14 |
| 28 | Mississippi | 44.17 | -6 |
| 29 | Ohio | 43.16 | 9 |
| 30 | Minnesota | 43.13 | -4 |
| 31 | Washington | 42.22 | 13 |
| 32 | Oregon | 41.18 | -8 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | 40.21 | 17 |
| 34 | Maine | 39.17 | 0 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 39.17 | -11 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | 37.71 | 13 |
| 37 | Colorado | 37.50 | -6 |
| 38 | Delaware | 36.70 | 1 |
| 39 | Georgia | 36.67 | -11 |
| 40 | New York | 35.00 | 1 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | 34.72 | -16 |
| 42 | Maryland | 32.22 | -12 |
| 43 | Illinois | 30.97 | 8 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | 30.00 | 4 |
| 45 | Virginia | 26.25 | -12 |
| 46 | Vermont | 23.13 | 1 |
| 47 | New Mexico | 19.06 | -3 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 16.81 | -2 |
| 49 | New Jersey | 16.53 | -10 |
| 50 | California | 16.46 | -18 |
| 51 | New Hampshire | 16.04 | -16 |
Note: Rankings are based on data available as of 12:30 p.m. ET on Monday, June 8, 2020.