NC ranks 7th in U.S. for most COVID-19 restrictions

North Carolina ranks seventh in the nation for the most COVID-19 related restrictions, according to a study from the personal-finance website WalletHub.

WalletHub said it compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 18 key metrics.

The data ranges from whether child-care programs and restaurants have reopened to whether the state has required face coverings in public and workplace temperature screenings.

"States should strictly enforce their COVID-19 restrictions because otherwise there is no incentive for people to follow the rules," said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst in a statement. "If there are no consequences for disobeying a state's mask mandate, for example, people will be more likely to try to enter crowded areas without masks, which in turn will contribute to the spread of the virus."

These are the Top 10 states for the most restrictions:

• California

• New Jersey

• Pennsylvania

• Massachusetts

• Colorado

• Texas

• North Carolina

• Arizona

• Vermont

• New Mexico

These are the Top 10 states with the fewest restrictions:

• South Dakota

• Wisconsin

• Oklahoma

• Utah

• Iowa

• Idaho

• Wyoming

• South Carolina

• Arkansas

• North Dakota

Click here to see all of the WalletHub rankings