Where a record holds you back least: every state, ranked

How we scored each state

Every input is a field we already publish that passed a separate check against state law and official guidance. The point values are our judgment about what matters most to someone with a record, and we print every one of them here so you can disagree, reweight and check our work.

Clearing a record: up to 50 points

• Automatic clearing (Clean Slate): 15 if some records clear automatically today, 10 if automatic clearing is limited, 5 if a law has passed but isn't in effect yet, 0 if you have to apply.
• A general route to clear a felony conviction: 12.
• A general route to clear a misdemeanor conviction: 8.
• A general route to clear a case that didn't end in a conviction: 8.
• A fee waiver on at least one route: 4.
• A DUI conviction can be cleared: 3 if yes, 1.5 if in some cases, 0 if not.

A “general route” is one whose own eligibility rules cover that kind of case and that clears or seals the record. These don't count: narrow routes, such as ones only for certain victims, offenses or ages; routes open only after a governor's pardon; pardons and certificates themselves; and dismissals, set-asides or reductions whose own terms leave the record public. A case that didn't end in a conviction also counts when the state handles it through a records law described on its page. Each route's exclusions are on the state pages.

Voting rights: up to 30 points

• Never lose the right to vote, even in prison: 30.
• Can vote again on release from prison: 22.
• Can vote again after the full sentence, including parole and probation: 14.
• Some people must take an extra step, or lose the right for good: 6.

Where the felony line falls: up to 20 points

A record is harder to escape when more conduct becomes a felony in the first place.

• Felony theft line: $2,500 or more, 10; $1,500 to $2,499, 7; $1,000 to $1,499, 5; Under $1,000, 2; no single dollar line, 5.
• Repeat DUI: no repeat-offense felony, 10; a felony only from the 4th offense or later, 7; from the 3rd, 5; from the 2nd, 3; set by other rules, 5.

What the index doesn't measure

It doesn't score sentencing, fair-chance hiring laws, licensing rules, housing or how courts apply these laws in practice, and beyond whether clearing is automatic, it gives no weight to how hard filing is. Ties share a rank. The scores change when the laws do; we re-check every state on a schedule and log each change on What changed. See our editorial standards.

Questions