Today, First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD) revealed the results of its fourth annual Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) index, the only comprehensive comparison of how all 50 states protect religious liberty through law.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the 2025 RLS at a press conference at New College in Sarasota, Florida. He was joined by First Liberty’s President Kelly Shackelford and Dr. Mark David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project.

Watch Governor DeSantis make today’s announcement and learn how states like Florida are using the RLS index to improve religious freedom protections for their residents.

For the first time, Florida tops the national ranking followed closely by Montana and Illinois. Florida and Montana have gained momentum through new conscience protections, religious exemptions, and updated statutory safeguards.

“Florida holds several #1 rankings, leading the nation in education, economy, and tourism—and now, Florida is #1 in religious liberty,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Religious liberty is critical to the foundation and function of America, and I am proud that Florida excels in protecting this right.”

“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida passed real laws that protect real people, and now the Sunshine State is the national leader in protecting religious liberty,” said Kelly Shackelford. “It’s time for more states to follow Governor DeSantis’s example and adopt strong religious liberty laws.”

The 2025 index evaluates 47 distinct legal protections, grouped into 20 safeguards, that states can adopt to support religious freedom in daily life from education and health care to family law and religious practice. As with previous editions, the index tracks changes over time and ranks each state based on the percentage of possible safeguards it has adopted.

“Each state is a laboratory for liberty,” said Dr. Mark David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project. “The most successful states are actively innovating to protect what America’s founders called ‘the sacred right of conscience.’ These legal safeguards help ensure that people of all faith can live according to their beliefs.”

Visit the index website (www.religiouslibertyinthestates.com) to see each state’s score, rank, and change over time. The website also has resources for individuals, researchers, and policy makers who are interested in how their state can improve.

About First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy

First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD) supports the creation and promotion of high-quality scholarship. Our publications, programming, and resources affirm the importance of religion as a public good for strengthening social bonds and reinforcing foundational freedoms.

About Religious Liberty in the States

Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) is a project of the CRCD and parent organization FLI. RLS is a comprehensive, peer reviewed annual measure of laws and constitutional safeguards for religious exercise in the 50 states.