While book bans are not always directly connected to state law, they are an important indicator of the sentiments around freedom and democracy in a state. States of Democracy divides states into four based on number of book bans reported in the 2023-2024 school year:

• Bad (0): over 100 books reported banned
• Below Average (1): 11-100 books reported banned
• Good (2): 1-10 books reported banned
• Very Good (3): 0 books reported banned

Data Source

https://pen.org/report/beyond-the-shelves/