States / Massachusetts
Massachusetts
One in six people in Massachusetts who took the quiz scored libertarian, about the same as the country. One in 78 voted that way. Here is what the count says about Massachusetts, what the state has changed, and who is doing the work.
How Massachusetts scores
43.9 of 100, rank 32 of 50. Five parts, each turned into a 0 to 100 mark and weighted as shown. The method page has the formulas.
Wins on the ledger, 1 for Massachusetts, are listed below and left out of the score, because the ledger records what we have checked, not everything that happened.
Where Massachusetts lands
Quiz takers in the state against quiz takers everywhere, by type. The bar is the state; the line is the country.
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 Massachusetts
Eight measures, each from its publisher, each with the year it was measured.
What Massachusetts 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.
- Massachusetts legalizes accessory dwelling units statewideHousing, August 2024Partial winState overrides local rule
The Massachusetts Affordable Homes Act requires every municipality to allow accessory dwelling units of 900 square feet or less by right in single-family zoning districts, ending local bans and discretionary permitting for small secondary homes.
Why this is a partial win
This arrived as a state law overriding local zoning. Libertarians divide on that: some hold that a state has no business dictating what towns may forbid. The ledger records it because the person coerced was the owner who could not build, and the day after signing that owner could. The federalism question is real and is not the one the ledger measures. The state also sets its own limits in the same act, 900 square feet and state regulations on what towns may require, so the owner trades a local ban for a state rulebook.
Who is doing the work in Massachusetts
Advocates for Self-Government, which publishes this site, works in every state. 1 group is based in Massachusetts, and other national groups take cases and run programs everywhere. Say who you are and what you care about to sort the whole directory.
Count Massachusetts
The state's count grows one booth and one classroom at a time. Three ways to add to it.