First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD) has released its Religious Liberty in the States Index and Florida was ranked as the number one state for religious freedom. The index ranks the 50 states based on their policies that promote such freedoms as religious exemptions, protections for religious organizations and schools, and the freedom of individuals to live out their faith in both public and private life. Other top states included Montana in second and Illinois in third. The lowest states were Michigan (48), Wyoming (49) and West Virginia at the bottom. This is the third year in a row that West Virginia has found itself on the bottom.

Governor Ron DeSantis touted the state’s high ranking in a statement. “Florida holds several #1 rankings, leading the nation in education, economy, and tourism—and now, Florida is #1 in religious liberty. We’re grateful for this recognition from the First Liberty Institute, which has just named Florida the #1 state in the nation for protecting religious liberty,” the Governor stated. “Religious liberty is critical to the foundation and function of America, and I am proud that Florida excels in protecting this right.” The statement touted such legislation as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which allows parents to object to school materials that violate their religious beliefs, legislation that would protect houses of worship from having services shut down by the State Emergency Management Act, and legislation that protected students giving religious invocations at school events, to name a few.

This is the first time Florida has earned the number one spot. “We find that the states are laboratories of religious liberty where different protections for free exercise can be implemented and tested,” wrote CRCD Executive Director Jordan Ballor.  “One of the major goals of the RLS project is to raise awareness of what different states are doing. There are positive lessons to be learned from this experimentation, as states that have been at the vanguard of protecting religious liberty can serve as exemplars for states that have lagged behind.” The report also highlighted the importance of new legislation to maintain religious liberty. Colorado, a formerly conservative state that has gone blue. The state had fallen to 43^rd in 2024, though it had moved up to 34^th in 2025 thanks to some new legislation. “This year’s findings show clearly that states taking legislative action are pulling ahead. Under the leadership of Gov. DeSantis, Florida passed real laws that protect real people, and now the Sunshine State is the national leader in protecting religious liberty,” stated Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel at First Liberty. “It’s time for more states to follow Gov. DeSantis’s example and adopt strong religious liberty laws.”