Throughout centuries and across continents, the political meaning of liberalism has evolved to represent a very different set of principles than it once did.
Researchers determined that the first time the term "liberal" was used in a political manner was around 1769, when Scottish economist Adam Smith applied the word to discussions about trade and policy. To believe in liberal principles, for Smith, was to strive for natural liberty—or the right for any person to pursue their own interests as long as they stayed within the lines of the law.
Historically, liberal values in the U.S. have been characterized by an emphasis on freedoms and an expectation that the government should intervene to improve the lives of its citizens. Programs like the New Deal, the legalization of unions, and the establishment of social security exemplified this idea.
Today, in America, though, the liberal identity isn't always adopted by those on the left. Some have found mainstream liberal values in the Democratic party too friendly to corporations, too lenient on issues like Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza, and increasingly out of touch with workers.
Besides the internal divisions within the left, the conflict between conservatives and liberals remains glaringly apparent in the U.S. On Presidents' Day in 2025, thousands gathered across the country to protest the policies of President Donald Trump, who has enacted dozens of conservative legal measures since taking office in January.
Other Americans are handling their political frustrations differently—in some cases, by putting off having kids. An article published in The Atlantic in February 2025 suggests that birth rates among liberal Americans may very well decline under the current administration, citing a 2022 study that found the partisan birth gap grew by 17% during Trump's first term in office.
But plenty of places in the U.S. still lean left. Stacker ranked each state first by the percentage of residents who identify as liberal and then by the percentage of the state's voters who voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, using data from Gallup, 270toWin, and the Cook Political Report's 2020 National Popular Vote Tracker.
Continue reading to find out how many liberals there are in every state, beginning with the state with the least liberals in the U.S.
