Columbus, OH – In 2025, Ohio maintained its 35th place ranking in the Economic Freedom of North America 2025 (EFNA) report for the second year in a row. The report, released by The Buckeye Institute in partnership with Canada’s Fraser Institute, ranks all states and provinces in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, based on economic freedom, measured by government spending, taxation, and labor-market freedom. 

“Ohio continues to rank in the bottom half of this year’s economic freedom rankings. While recent tax reforms have boosted Ohio’s score, government spending remains a drag on the state’s overall ranking,” said Aswin Prabhakar, an economic research analyst at The Buckeye Institute. “To continue climbing the EFNA rankings, lawmakers must address government spending while building on recent progress in tax policy and labor market reforms.”

This year, Ohio ranks 35th out of the 50 states and Puerto Rico, scoring 6.08. Although Ohio ranks relatively low in government spending, coming in at 39th, the state saw a significant improvement from its 2022 adjusted rankings in the taxation category, jumping from 23rd to 18th. In labor-market freedom, Ohio dropped one spot from 30 to 31.

The report’s latest edition employs a revised methodology to rank states on their government spending, taxation, and labor market freedom. The current rankings are based on data from 2023 (the latest year data was available).

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