The Regressive Effects of Regulation | 2022 Edition

The effects of broad federal policies on state economies vary according to states’ unique circumstances. Consequently, a policy can have positive or negative effects that were completely unanticipated at the policy’s inception. All too often, the adverse effects of regulation cause outsize harm to the most vulnerable members of society. We call these unintended negative consequences “regressive effects.”

We have constructed a series of snapshots that estimate these regressive effects in each state, including lost businesses and jobs, inflated consumer prices, and increased poverty and income inequality. Each state’s snapshot also reports where the state ranks among the rest of the states in terms of the burden of state-level regulations. Please click on the map above to see each state’s results.