State RegData: Top Tool for Quantifying U.S. State Regulations

State RegData is a leading free public dataset and analysis platform developed by the QuantGov team at the Mercatus Center (George Mason University). It uses machine learning and text analysis to quantify state-level regulations and statutes across all 50 U.S. states + Washington, D.C., turning raw legal text into actionable metrics like restriction counts, word volume, complexity, and industry relevance (via NAICS codes).

Key Features

• Metrics Provided:
  • Restrictions: Counts phrases like "shall," "must," "required," "prohibited" as proxies for binding rules.
  • Volume: Total words/pages in codes.
  • Complexity: Readability scores and other linguistic measures.
  • Categorization: Links regs to industries (e.g., healthcare, construction) and topics.
• Coverages: Separate datasets for regulations (administrative codes) and statutes (state laws).
• Visualizations: Interactive dashboards for state comparisons, rankings (e.g., California tops with ~396K restrictions; Idaho bottom with <39K).
• Updates: Latest data as of 2023 (e.g., State RegData 2023); historical versions back to 2020.

Access Options

Pros: Completely free, objective/machine-driven, comprehensive (50+ states), downloadable for analysis. Ideal for researchers, policymakers, or compliance teams studying regulatory burden. Cons: Static snapshots (not real-time updates); focuses on quantification, not full text search or alerts. Data lags (2023 latest publicly noted).

Comparison with Alternatives

Here are top alternatives for state regulatory data/tools, compared for your use case:

Recommendation: Start with State RegData if you need historical/comparative data or rankings—it's the most direct match, objective, and no-cost. Switch to GovHawk/Quorum for ongoing monitoring.

What specific state, industry, or metric (e.g., restrictions in healthcare) are you interested in? Do you need real-time alerts or just bulk data for analysis? Let me know for tailored downloads or deeper dives!

State RegData is a specialized dataset and analytics platform developed by the QuantGov team at the Mercatus Center (George Mason University). It uses machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to turn thousands of pages of state-level regulatory text into quantifiable data.

If you are looking for this data for research, policy analysis, or corporate compliance, here is a breakdown of what State RegData offers and the best alternative tools depending on your specific needs.

1. The Primary Source: State RegData (QuantGov)

This is the gold standard for academic and economic research regarding state regulations. It focuses on "counting" the actual burden of regulation.

• Key Features:
  • Restriction Counts: Identifies specific binding words like "shall," "must," "may not," "prohibited," and "required."
  • Industry Mapping: Links regulations to specific industries using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.
  • Complexity Metrics: Measures the difficulty of reading and complying with the text (e.g., word counts, sentence length).
  • Coverage: Covers 46 U.S. states plus D.C. (notable exceptions often include AR, HI, NJ, and VT due to data formatting issues).
• Pros: Open-source datasets; objective, machine-driven analysis; excellent for cross-state economic comparisons.
• Cons: Not a "compliance tracker"—it tells you how much regulation there is, but not necessarily how to follow it in real-time.

2. Alternatives for Corporate Compliance (GRC)

If your goal is to manage your company's actual compliance with these state regulations, you need Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platforms rather than just raw data.

• OneTrust: Best for data privacy and security compliance across different state laws (like CCPA/CPRA in California).
• AuditBoard: A top-tier tool for enterprise-level risk management that helps internal teams track their adherence to state-level controls.
• Predict360 (by 360factors): Specifically built for highly regulated industries like banking and insurance, providing a unified view of state and federal obligations.

3. Alternatives for Legislative & Regulatory Intelligence

If you need to know when new state regulations are being proposed or changed, these tools provide real-time monitoring and "horizon scanning."

• GovHawk: A comprehensive tool for tracking state-level bills and administrative codes. It provides AI-generated summaries and alerts.
• Regology: Uses AI to map laws and regulations to your specific business requirements. It covers thousands of agencies across all 50 states.
• FiscalNote: The industry leader for government affairs. It allows you to track legislative movements across all 50 states and predict the likelihood of a regulation passing.

4. Solution for State Agencies & Regulators

If you are part of a state government looking to manage your own regulatory lifecycle (licensing, inspections, enforcement), specialized software is required.

• Tyler Technologies (State Regulatory Platform): Offers a full suite for state agencies to manage professional licensing, enforcement cases, and inspections. It is designed to automate the administrative side of being a regulator.

Comparison Summary

To give you the most helpful recommendation, could you clarify your goal? For example:

• Are you a researcher looking for raw data on regulatory burdens?
• Are you a compliance officer needing to ensure your company follows state-specific laws?
• Are you looking for API access to pull this data into your own software?