Arkansas Tops List for Most Religious Freedom in State Law, Says First Liberty

by Nicole Hunt | July 21, 2026 | Religious Freedom

Arkansas is now the most religiously free state in the nation, according to First Liberty Institute’s fifth annual Religious Liberty in the States Index.

The top five states with the most religious freedom in order of ranking were:

1. Arkansas

2. Tennessee

3. Florida

4. Montana

5. Illinois

This year’s five worst states for religious freedom were:

46. California

47. West Virginia

48. Michigan

49. Vermont

50. New York

The Religious Liberty in the States Index represents a comprehensive evaluation of state law and constitutional protections for religious freedom. 

It considers whether states have enacted legal protections for individuals, churches, ministries, schools, healthcare professionals, faith-based organizations and people of all faiths to live freely according to their sincerely held religious beliefs. 

The Index recognized Arkansas as the state with the most religious freedom in the nation, awarding it one of the first ever “Excellent” designations — the highest possible score.

At a press conference announcing Arkansas’s excellence in protecting religious freedom, President and CEO of First Liberty Kelly Shackelford explained the importance of recognizing statutory and constitutional protections for religion:

Religious liberty is best protected when leaders are willing to act before the rights of people of faith are threatened.

First Liberty considered five different areas of law, including government, healthcare, economic life, religious life and family and education.

The 2026 index analyzed 50 different legal protections, including medical conscience protections, religious freedom in education, protections for churches and religious nonprofit organizations, protections for religious speech, parental rights, accommodations for the free exercise of religion and more.

Source: First Liberty Institute

According to First Liberty, Arkansas received the highest score this year in large part due to legislation it adopted to protect “individuals and institutions from being forced to participate in wedding ceremonies to which they have religious objections.”

At the press conference, Governor Sanders stated unapologetically:

Religious liberty is America’s First Freedom. … Our rights come from God, not government, and every American should be free to live according to their faith and conscience. We’ll continue defending that freedom and ensuring the Natural State remains the best place in the country to live, work, and worship.

You can watch the entire press conference with Liberty Institute and Governor Sanders below.

To see where your state landed in the Index and why, visit the full list here.

First Liberty Institute has been defending religious freedom for nearly 30 years and is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit legal organizations dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom. First Liberty has a 90% win rate across all legal matters and a 100% success rate in the11 cases they took all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

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