North Carolina over-all has some of the most restrictive COVID-19 prevention measures in the nation, according to a WalletHub study released on Jan. 26.
In a study of state-by-state restrictions, Oklahoma, the 28th largest state by population, ranked first for least restrictive measures and California, the largest state by population, ranked last. North Carolina, the 9th largest state by population, ranked 44th for least restrictive measures.
With the U.S. starting to open up more but a full reopening only possible once the nation achieves widespread vaccination, the personal-finance website WalletHub released updated rankings for the States with the Fewest Coronavirus Restrictions.
To identify which states have the fewest coronavirus restrictions, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 14 key metrics. Our data set ranges from whether restaurants are open to whether the state has required face masks in public and workplace temperature screenings.
Here’s how North Carolina measured up:
Coronavirus Restrictions in North Carolina (1=Fewest, 25=Avg.):
- 18th – State Guidance on Customer Health Checks at Restaurants
- 26th – Large Gatherings Restrictions
- 48th – Strictness of “Shelter in Place” Order
- 34th – Reopening of Non-Essential Businesses
- 22nd – Reopening of Restaurants and Bars
Note: Rankings are based on data available as of 12:30 p.m. ET on January 25, 2021.
Here’s how all the states measured up:
States with the Fewest COVID-19 Restrictions
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Delta in Overall Rank vs. Oct. 6, 2020 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Oklahoma | 84.69 | 3 |
2 | South Dakota | 81.63 | -1 |
3 | Iowa | 76.05 | 2 |
4 | Arkansas | 75.85 | 6 |
5 | Florida | 75.51 | 6 |
6 | Utah | 75.20 | -3 |
7 | Missouri | 73.47 | 1 |
8 | Wisconsin | 72.65 | -2 |
9 | Alaska | 72.31 | 3 |
10 | South Carolina | 71.60 | 9 |
11 | Kansas | 67.21 | 6 |
12 | Alabama | 66.33 | 2 |
13 | Montana | 65.99 | 15 |
14 | Idaho | 65.68 | -12 |
14 | North Dakota | 65.68 | -5 |
16 | Wyoming | 65.37 | -9 |
17 | Nebraska | 64.80 | 4 |
18 | Georgia | 62.04 | -5 |
19 | Tennessee | 59.05 | -1 |
20 | Indiana | 57.42 | -5 |
21 | Mississippi | 57.35 | 1 |
22 | Louisiana | 56.80 | 3 |
23 | New Hampshire | 51.36 | 3 |
24 | Maryland | 50.88 | 0 |
25 | West Virginia | 47.72 | 2 |
26 | Kentucky | 45.78 | 11 |
27 | Nevada | 44.97 | -7 |
28 | Texas | 43.06 | 7 |
29 | Michigan | 42.55 | 1 |
30 | Arizona | 42.04 | 15 |
31 | Ohio | 40.51 | -15 |
32 | Minnesota | 39.86 | 0 |
33 | Delaware | 39.35 | -2 |
34 | New Jersey | 39.01 | 13 |
35 | Pennsylvania | 37.62 | 7 |
36 | Rhode Island | 36.05 | -7 |
37 | Oregon | 35.58 | 7 |
38 | Colorado | 33.88 | 8 |
39 | New York | 33.67 | -1 |
40 | Maine | 33.54 | 8 |
41 | Connecticut | 32.52 | -2 |
42 | Illinois | 31.74 | -19 |
43 | Hawaii | 28.64 | 8 |
44 | North Carolina | 26.26 | -11 |
45 | Vermont | 26.05 | -4 |
46 | Washington | 24.83 | -10 |
47 | New Mexico | 23.50 | -13 |
48 | District of Columbia | 21.63 | -5 |
49 | Massachusetts | 21.09 | 0 |
50 | Virginia | 18.57 | -10 |
51 | California | 16.67 | -1 |
Although North Carolina is the 9th largest state by population, its COVID-19 death toll ranks 30th in the nation. Recent surges following Election Day, Thanksgiving Break, and Christmas Break led to more restrictive measures being reinstated in the state.
COVID-19 Death Rate vs Restrictions
Note: Rank 1 on the “COVID19 Death Rate Ranking” means fewest deaths and Rank 1 on “Fewest Restrictions Ranking” means the fewest restrictions in place.
North Carolina similarly ranks 31st in the nation for unemployment.
Unemployment Ranking vs Restrictions Ranking
Note: Rank 1 on the “Unemployment Ranking” means lowest unemployment rate and Rank 1 on “Fewest Restrictions Ranking” means the fewest restrictions in place.
WalletHub assembled a panel of experts to address common questions about the pandemic and measures to control its spread. Here are two:
Kelsey Hample, Ph.D., Professor, Economics Department, Furman University
What are the top measures that can be taken in order to safely open the economy and prevent a second wave of coronavirus infections?
COVID-19 has been called the “invisible enemy”, which highlights our challenge in responding to something we don’t know enough about. First, we need more data. This should include testing at-risk groups as well as randomized testing to get a better understanding of overall prevalence. Without this data, it will be more difficult to limit spread by isolating carriers or by tracing past contacts and it will be more difficult to predict medical needs.
What would be the consequences of opening the economy too early?
Epidemiologists warn that if we open too early, the spread of COVID-19 will increase exponentially again. This will renew the economic issues we are already facing. Being sick is costly. If a person cannot work, she might lose income or her firm may have to pay a wage without producing something of value. If a person is sick, he may have high hospital bills. In that case, he may have less disposable income to spend or his (and all of our) insurance costs might increase. If many people are sick, supply chains may become disrupted, leaving some firms without quick access to the markets they traditionally sell to or without quick access to their input markets. For the same reasons we took stay-at-home precautions in March, we should be cautious of reopening too much too early.

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What are the best ways to protect the population most at risk while resuming economic activity?
To protect the population most at risk, debt payments from low- and middle- income countries should be paused. Within an economy, small firms’ rent, utilities, and debt payments should be paused or discounted to be collected over a later time. Targeting individual households may be more difficult, but freezing or reducing rent/mortgage, utility, and debt payments for financially burdened individuals would help. Freezing those payments for all households, however, would put unnecessary strain on the creditors. Immediate investments should be made at a local level to ensure access to necessities like food, whether those investments are made through the public sector, through charities, and/or through safe employment opportunities.
What can individuals do to safely begin to get back to normal?
Individuals should start to think about a new normal. Wearing masks in public, for instance, could become a new normal in the US as it has in parts of Asia after health pandemics in the 2000s. Similarly, firms that have continued remote operations could work to improve upon those systems and management to be prepared for a second wave in the fall or anything else that could lead to large numbers of people staying home. Firms that have been innovative and flexible with their business models in response to this pandemic may find success in their new markets.
Teresa M. Waters, Ph.D., Endowed Professor and Chair, Associate Dean for Research, University of Kentucky
What are the top measures that can be taken in order to safely open the economy and prevent a second wave of coronavirus infections?
In order to attempt a safe reopening of the economy, we need to:
- Maintain social distancing measures, even as we resume activities.
- Carefully track new COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths to identify localized spikes and “retreat” as needed to contain spread.
- Expand testing so that we better understand virus spread and immunity and can track at a highly localized level. Our best hope for reopening is to make our public health efforts more tailored and localized. Rather than shutting down the entire county or entire states, we can be in the position of temporarily shutting down localized hotspots.
What would be the consequences of opening the economy too early?
The Pandemic Flu of 1918 provides a cautionary tale of opening too early. Without appropriate measures in place, we may see a second wave of COVID19 that eclipses this first wave. We have already lost more than 65,000; the cost of a second wave could be devastating.
What are the best ways to protect the population most at risk while resuming economic activity?
That is such an important point. We know that older individuals and those with chronic conditions are most at risk for severe outcomes (hospitalizations, ventilation, death). These individuals should consider remaining at home as much and as long as possible. Also, they should keep their circle of contacts small, not visiting with others who are in contact with a lot of people. This means that if you are a low-risk individual, but you live with someone who is a high risk, you should also limit your contact with others.
What can individuals do to safely begin to get back to normal?
Individuals need to listen to their local officials about social distancing measures and return to work. They are monitoring the situation daily and are trying to take all the information into account when making recommendations. But even as we start resuming economic activity, we will not be going back to the way things were. There needs to be a new normal, where folks are very aware of transmission risk. Keep social distancing, even as you return to work. Wash your hands often and pay attention to limiting and/or cleaning multiple contact surfaces (e.g. doors, elevator buttons).
