State rankings

Open Records Laws by State

California has the highest # of Requests Filed (12,807), followed by Massachusetts (7,938) and New York (7,310). South Dakota has the lowest (313).

Law50 states · 6 metricsUpdated Jul 5, 2023Original page
4 sources
50 of 51 states
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# of Requests Filed

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 50 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
919
Middle half 559 – 1,705
Average
1,693
50 states
Highest
12,807
California
Lowest
313
South Dakota

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by # of Requests Filed
#
1California12,8075,43161239.7%
2Massachusetts7,9382,68638230.3%
3New York7,3102,35293129.1%
4Florida4,3601,71014735.2%
5Texas4,1911,61716335.6%
6Illinois3,4701,77422045.9%
7Washington2,6521,25314244.5%
8Georgia2,1857809531.6%
9Virginia2,09364126622.1%
10Michigan1,81762620932.3%
11Pennsylvania1,79256226129.6%
12Minnesota1,7285308527.4%
13Maryland1,7246379530.1%
14North Carolina1,6487164938.8%
15Ohio1,6157267638.0%
16Colorado1,5885165228.3%
17Arizona1,5495905933.9%
18New Jersey1,47261117837.2%
19Tennessee1,44232223219.6%
20Alabama1,37023719516.4%
21Connecticut1,2975262436.2%
22Missouri1,2354237930.0%
23Nevada1,1334185132.4%
24Louisiana1,0722916724.8%
25Rhode Island9195391858.4%
26Wisconsin9183906837.5%
27Indiana8973335233.3%
28Oregon87922611422.4%
29Arkansas75618717620.0%
30South Carolina7492375027.2%
31Kentucky7112266428.0%
32Oklahoma7062474530.6%
33New Hampshire6492543431.3%
34Kansas6452287129.8%
35New Mexico6412674838.2%
36Mississippi6361522521.1%
37Utah6261966026.8%
38Idaho5362461942.9%
39Delaware47912111521.9%
40North Dakota4601804432.4%
41Iowa4521842334.5%
42Vermont4501961335.1%
43Nebraska4411883737.2%
44West Virginia4391353926.7%
45Montana399128824.3%
46Maine3881242428.6%
47Hawaii3811091724.7%
48Alaska3561032726.1%
49Wyoming3371472040.7%
50South Dakota313867225.6%

What correlates with # of Requests Filed?

Pearson r against 2,109 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher # of Requests Filed tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Total ResourcesState Budgets by State
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. RevenuesState Budgets by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. ExpendituresState Budgets by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Democratic RepsNumber of Representatives by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 38
    Plot
  5. Bar Exam TakersHardest Bar Exams by State
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 37
    Plot
  6. Collective Tax Revenue Paid by StateFederal Aid by State
    r = +0.91 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher # of Requests Filed tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Req. English CreditsHigh School Graduation Requirements by State
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 47
    Plot
  2. Balance of Payments without COVIDFederal Aid by State
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.56 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Cost of LivingPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  5. Mitigation Efforts RankFood Waste by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.55 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Housing CostPension-Friendly States
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 49
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest # of Requests Filed?
California has the highest # of Requests Filed, at 12,807, followed by Massachusetts (7,938) and New York (7,310).
Which state has the lowest # of Requests Filed?
South Dakota has the lowest # of Requests Filed, at 313.
What is the median # of Requests Filed across US states?
The median is 919 across the 50 US states with data.
Where does this open records laws by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Public Records Guide - MuckRock; State Freedom of Information Laws - National Freedom of Information Coalition; Who can make FOIA requests - Ballotpedia; The "State" of Public Records Law: A 50 State Survey - Logikcull.