New report reveals which states are the most ‘faith-friendly’ states — here where New York ranks

A new report found that Alabama and Kansas lead the nation as the most “faith-friendly,” while Michigan and Washington rank among the lowest in protecting freedoms for religious nonprofits.

Napa Legal Institute’s “Faith & Freedom Index,” now in its third edition, examined 15 factors in state laws that affect faith-based nonprofits and their ability to operate. The report looked at regulatory burdens, including charitable registration laws, as well as religious freedom protections in employment law and state constitutions, to produce scores for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

The report’s authors warned that despite the White House’s efforts to protect religious liberty, several states still lag behind in ensuring that faith-based organizations are safeguarded. While many Republican-led states scored high, the report noted results did not fall neatly along partisan lines.

Alabama (72%), Kansas (69%), Indiana (68%), Texas (65%), and Mississippi (63%) received the highest overall scores for protecting religious and regulatory freedoms for faith-based nonprofits, according to the 2025 report.

Alabama and Kansas were cited as having “stronger protections for religious free exercise or worship” in their state constitutions than even the First Amendment, according to the report. Both states also earned high marks for having nondiscrimination laws that avoid burdening faith-based employers and for enacting state-level Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs).

Yet there were instances where more liberal states outperformed conservative ones in certain legal protections. New York scored slightly better than Alaska, Tennessee, and South Carolina in some categories. Connecticut was highlighted for having a state-level RFRA, while Ohio and Alaska lack those laws.

The authors emphasized that strong state laws are particularly important in states with leadership that’s less supportive of religious organizations.

“Although California’s current administration is not generally favorable to religion, California nonprofit religious corporations continue to enjoy legal protections such as exemption from state charitable registration requirements and greater autonomy in internal affairs than secular nonprofits,” the report stated.

Michigan (31%), Washington (35%), Massachusetts (37%), Illinois (38%), and West Virginia (38%), and Maryland (38%) received the lowest overall scores for protecting religious and regulatory freedoms in the report.

Michigan and Washington state were among “the worst places to operate a faith-based nonprofit,” the report said. These states have several laws that can “burden” operations, according to the report, including “broad” Blaine Amendments and nondiscrimination laws that may lack robust exemptions for faith-based employers and public-facing ministries.

Napa Legal, a nonprofit legal education group that equips religious organizations with tools to protect their missions, said the findings underscored the importance of state-level protections.

“The many religious freedom attacks over the past few years are chilling reminders that without staunch state-level protections for religious freedom, ordinary Americans will suffer, regardless of how supportive the current administration may be,” Napa Legal Senior Counsel Frank Devito said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

“From Catholic priests in Washington to concerned parents in Montgomery County, Maryland — incidents from two of the lowest scoring states on the 2025 Faith and Freedom Index — too many Americans have been forced to spend precious time and money litigating issues that should never have gone to court in the first place,” he said.

The report concluded that lawmakers have an opportunity to bolster protections while the Trump administration and the Supreme Court continue to champion religious liberty.

“This year’s Faith and Freedom Index serves as a powerful tool for lawmakers to see where they must add protections, strengthen existing state laws, or repeal harmful state laws. We must seize this moment, especially given the current presidential administration and a Supreme Court that continues to champion religious freedom, to enact stalwart, enduring state protections that will protect the rights of Americans for generations to come.”

The 2025 index also highlighted states that improved their rankings from prior years.

Wyoming and Georgia, both of which enacted RFRAs this year, climbed to ninth and sixth place, respectively.