States / Iowa

Iowa

One in six people in Iowa who took the quiz scored libertarian, fewer than the country. One in 86 voted that way. Here is what the count says about Iowa, what the state has changed, and who is doing the work.

16.7%
of quiz takers hold libertarian positions5,995 people with a Iowa ZIP, January to October 2024, margin ±0.9 points
1.2%
voted Libertarian2020 presidential, 19,637 of 1.7 million votes
42of 50
on the state score34.2 of 100 from five published parts

How Iowa scores

34.2 of 100, rank 42 of 50. Five parts, each turned into a 0 to 100 mark and weighted as shown. The method page has the formulas.

Personal freedom Cato rank 25 of 50, 202351weight 25
Economic freedom Cato rank 31 of 50, 202339weight 25
Civil forfeiture law Institute for Justice grade D, 202525weight 10
Quiz takers who hold libertarian positions 16.7% of 5,995, pulled toward the national 18.9% for sample size, then ranked against the other states7weight 25
Voted Libertarian for president 1.16% in 2020, ranked against the other states50weight 15

Wins on the ledger, 0 for Iowa, are listed below and left out of the score, because the ledger records what we have checked, not everything that happened.

Where Iowa lands

Quiz takers in the state against quiz takers everywhere, by type. The bar is the state; the line is the country.

Libertarian16.7%
Moderate47.7%
Progressive22.0%
Conservative7.3%
Authoritarian6.3%

United States, same window. These are quiz takers, not a sample of residents. The current quiz version cannot be shown by state until ZIP capture, which stopped in January 2026, is restored.

How free is Iowa

Eight measures, each from its publisher, each with the year it was measured.

Overall freedom rank34 of 50Cato, 2023
Economic freedom rank31Cato, 2023
Personal freedom rank25Cato, 2023
Education freedom ranknot ranked
Civil forfeiture gradeDInstitute for Justice, 2025
Right to workYesNRTW, 2024
Concealed carryConstitutionalUSCCA, 2025
CannabisMedicalNCSL, 2025

What Iowa changed

Every entry is a real change in what the government forbids or requires, one an ordinary person could feel the next day, with sources. Partial wins say so.

Nothing on the ledger for Iowa yet. That is a gap in monitoring as much as in outcomes. Report a win.

Who is doing the work in Iowa

Advocates for Self-Government, which publishes this site, works in every state. Other national groups take cases and run programs everywhere. Say who you are and what you care about to sort the whole directory.

Cato InstitutePublic policy research across every issue on this site, with a sponsors program and internships.National
Reason FoundationPolicy research on transportation, pensions, drug policy, criminal justice and education, and publisher of Reason magazine.National
Institute for JusticePublic-interest law firm that litigates occupational licensing, civil forfeiture, eminent domain, school choice and free speech cases at no cost to the client.National
Who are you, and what do you care about?Find your people in Iowa

Count Iowa

The state's count grows one booth and one classroom at a time. Three ways to add to it.