Constitutional carry since 2017. No AWB, no mag limit, strong preemption. Stand-your-ground codified. Suppressors legal. No waiting period, no red-flag law.

Medical cannabis since 2013. Decriminalized possession up to 0.75oz (HB 640, 2017) - civil fine. No recreational despite repeated legislative attempts. Naloxone access expanded. No psychedelic reform.

State minimum wage $7.25/hr (state matches federal). MIT living wage for 1 adult: $17.55/hr. Ratio 0.41 — minimum-wage workers earn 41% of what's needed to live there alone.

USNews #2 overall, no general sales tax, no broad-based income tax, lowest sales/excise burden in nation. Strong NAEP scores, low uninsured rate, high life expectancy. Outstanding value: low input, high output.

IJ grades NH B (SB 522, 2016 - conviction required, equitable-sharing limits). No QI reform but limited use. Strong constitutional privacy clause (Art. 2-b). Body cam funding but no mandate. Limited no-knock use. Strong whistleblower protections.

Excuse required for absentee voting. No early voting (one of three states). Same-day registration since 1996. HB 1569 (2024) eliminated affidavit ballot for voters lacking ID — strict ID effective 2025. Felons vote after release. Bipartisan redistricting process but Republican-drawn maps with high bias. Recent restrictions reduce score.

Medicaid expansion adopted 2014. Abortion legal up to 24 weeks. Trans youth surgical care ban 2024; medication ban effective 2026 (with grandfather clause). Uninsured rate low. Commonwealth Fund top 5 overall. Strong outcomes overall but recent backsliding on trans care.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide BWC mandate. Laurie List (Brady list) of officers with credibility issues now partially public after 2021 ruling. NH Police Standards & Training Council decertifies. No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. AG handles all officer-involved deadly force investigations (statewide independent practice). Chokeholds restricted.

Abortion legal up to 24 weeks. LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination including gender identity. Conversion therapy banned. But 2024-2025 saw enacted gender-affirming care restrictions on minors and bathroom restrictions. No shield law. Trending negative under Republican trifecta but baseline protections higher than peers.

Not a right-to-work state. Voluntary paid family and medical leave program (Granite State Paid Family Leave 2023). No paid sick leave. Federal OSHA. Prevailing wage limited. Moderate wage theft enforcement. Below-median fatal injury rate.