Least Regulated States
All states ranked from fewest to most regulations, where state-level regulatory activity is most limited. Regulations are tracked across all 50 states, with data from state legislatures, NCSL, and IAPP; see our methodology.
What This Ranking Tells Us
States with fewer new regulations may rely more on federal rules, industry self-regulation, or market forces. Some are small states with fewer legislative resources, while others have political cultures that favor minimal government intervention. Lower regulation counts do not mean these states are unregulated, they may simply rely more on existing federal frameworks like the FTC Act, HIPAA, or federal employment law rather than creating state-specific alternatives.
| # | State | Regulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska AK | 1 |
| 2 | Arkansas AR | 1 |
| 3 | Georgia GA | 1 |
| 4 | Idaho ID | 1 |
| 5 | Kansas KS | 1 |
| 6 | Michigan MI | 1 |
| 7 | Mississippi MS | 1 |
| 8 | Missouri MO | 1 |
| 9 | New Mexico NM | 1 |
| 10 | North Carolina NC | 1 |
| 11 | Ohio OH | 1 |
| 12 | South Carolina SC | 1 |
| 13 | South Dakota SD | 1 |
| 14 | Wisconsin WI | 1 |
| 15 | Wyoming WY | 1 |
| 16 | Alabama AL | 2 |
| 17 | Arizona AZ | 2 |
| 18 | Indiana IN | 2 |
| 19 | Iowa IA | 2 |
| 20 | Kentucky KY | 2 |
| 21 | Louisiana LA | 2 |
| 22 | Maine ME | 2 |
| 23 | Montana MT | 2 |
| 24 | Nebraska NE | 2 |
| 25 | New Hampshire NH | 2 |
| 26 | North Dakota ND | 2 |
| 27 | Oklahoma OK | 2 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania PA | 2 |
| 29 | West Virginia WV | 2 |
| 30 | Florida FL | 3 |
| 31 | Hawaii HI | 3 |
| 32 | Maryland MD | 3 |
| 33 | Rhode Island RI | 3 |
| 34 | Tennessee TN | 3 |
| 35 | District of Columbia DC | 3 |
| 36 | Delaware DE | 4 |
| 37 | Nevada NV | 4 |
| 38 | New Jersey NJ | 4 |
| 39 | Utah UT | 4 |
| 40 | Vermont VT | 4 |
| 41 | Virginia VA | 4 |
| 42 | Minnesota MN | 5 |
| 43 | Texas TX | 5 |
| 44 | Connecticut CT | 6 |
| 45 | Massachusetts MA | 6 |
| 46 | Washington WA | 7 |
| 47 | Colorado CO | 8 |
| 48 | New York NY | 8 |
| 49 | Oregon OR | 8 |
| 50 | Illinois IL | 9 |
| 51 | California CA | 12 |
Source: PlainRegWatch State Regulation Tracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are least regulated states better for business?
Some businesses prefer less regulation for lower compliance costs and operational flexibility. However, regulatory clarity can also help businesses, without state rules, companies may face uncertainty about acceptable practices. Some industries actively request regulation to establish clear standards that protect responsible operators from undercutting by bad actors.
Do these states have no regulations at all?
No. All states have extensive existing regulatory frameworks. PlainRegWatch tracks specific emerging regulation categories (data privacy, AI, employment protection, etc.). States with low counts may have robust regulatory environments in other areas not tracked here, or may address these issues through executive orders, agency rules, or existing general-purpose laws.
Explore More Rankings
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Source: State regulatory agencies / Federal Register State and federal regulatory rule history and changes · 2025
Every figure on PlainRegWatch is rendered directly from state source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal and state source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.