A state with strong protections for faith-based employers keeps organizations free from undue government interference in religious organizations’ internal affairs.  In particular, such states facilitate a faith-based organization’s ability to form a community of faith through the recruitment, hiring, and retention of employees committed to living in accordance with the organization’s beliefs.  The legal roots of this freedom go back to “the church autonomy doctrine,” derived from the First Amendment, according to which freedom from the establishment of religion includes freedom from government regulation of the selection of religious leaders.

State laws sometimes restrict this freedom in significant and destructive ways. For example, state law may allow adverse action against faith-based employers who incorporate a faith commitment into their hiring criteria. State law might also favor certain belief systems over others.
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Below is a tier ranking of each state for this factor. Click on the state's name to open up its page, which provides more information on that particular state's overall score and relevant laws.