Shall-issue (no constitutional carry; Philadelphia carve-out). No AWB, no mag cap. Stand-your-ground codified. Suppressors legal. Strong preemption. No waiting period, no red-flag law.

Medical cannabis since 2016 (Act 16). No state-level decriminalization (some cities only). Recreational HB 1200 passed House May 2025 but defeated in Senate. Strong harm reduction including naloxone and syringe services in some counties. No psychedelic reform.

State minimum wage $7.25/hr (state matches federal). MIT living wage for 1 adult: $15.91/hr. Ratio 0.46 — minimum-wage workers earn 46% of what's needed to live there alone.

Moderately high tax burden, 12th-highest per-pupil spending, NAEP scores around national average. USNews #41. Pension and infrastructure burdens drag outcomes per dollar.

IJ grades PA C- (Act 13, 2017 - modest reforms, raised burden but not conviction). No QI reform. No-knock allowed. Body cam authorization (Act 22, 2017) but not mandate. No comprehensive privacy law. Moderate ICE cooperation; Philadelphia sanctuary. Whistleblower protections moderate.

No-excuse mail voting since Act 77 (2019). No early voting (in-person absentee approximation). No same-day registration. Non-strict ID for first-time voters only. Felons vote after release. Independent commission attempts failed; legislative redistricting moderate. Mail ballot rules under constant litigation (signature, dating). Mixed.

Medicaid expansion adopted 2015. Abortion legal up to 24 weeks; not constitutionally protected. Gender-affirming care for minors not banned. Uninsured rate near median. Strong urban providers; rural and Appalachian gaps. Maternal outcomes mixed.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide BWC mandate (Act 22 of 2017 enables but doesn't require). Disciplinary records limited disclosure. MPOETC decertification. Act 57 of 2020 created confidential database of officer separations for hiring. No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. Local DAs prosecute. Chokeholds not statewide-banned but restricted in some policy.

Abortion legal up to 24 weeks under statute. LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination via Human Relations Commission interpretation but no statutory codification. Conversion therapy ban via executive order. No gender-affirming care ban. No religious mandates in schools. Pro-equality governor blocking restrictive bills. Not as comprehensively codified as top tier.

Not a right-to-work state. No paid family leave. No statewide paid sick leave (Pittsburgh/Philadelphia local). Federal OSHA. Strong prevailing wage. Moderate wage theft enforcement. Near-median fatal injury rate. Domestic worker protections in Philly only.