Best States for Homesteading Freedom

A freedom score built from each state's laws that most affect a homestead: off-grid legality, how heavy the building-code regime is, right-to-farm strength, rainwater-harvesting rules, raw-milk and cottage-food access, and agricultural tax exemptions.

#StateFreedom scoreScore
1Texas95/10055
2Wyoming92/10042
3Nebraska91/10060
4Arizona89/10041
5Arkansas89/10084
6Colorado89/10035
7Idaho88/10046
8Maine88/10059
9Missouri88/10074
10South Dakota88/10048
11Alabama85/10076
12Florida85/10063
13Georgia85/10074
14Indiana85/10076
15Iowa85/10060
16Kansas85/10052
17Kentucky85/10078
18Montana85/10039
19Tennessee85/10079
20Mississippi84/10081
21Oklahoma82/10066
22Delaware81/10045
23Minnesota81/10048
24Wisconsin81/10048
25California78/10031
26New Hampshire78/10037
27North Dakota78/10049
28Oregon78/10038
29Vermont78/10049
30North Carolina77/10061
31Michigan76/10059
32New Mexico76/10038
33New York76/10044
34Pennsylvania76/10056
35South Carolina76/10073
36Utah76/10032
37Washington76/10033
38Ohio75/10060
39Virginia75/10063
40Alaska74/10043
41Maryland74/10047
42Massachusetts74/10037
43West Virginia74/10073
44Louisiana72/10070
45Illinois71/10051
46Nevada69/10028
47Connecticut56/1005
48New Jersey55/10013
49Hawaii44/10037
50Rhode Island44/10027

Rankings are computed automatically from public-dataset figures (U.S. Census, USDA, NOAA, FEMA, FCC, BLS) using the same homestead-scoring model as our state and county pages, so they update as the data does.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as homesteading freedom?

We combine the state-level legal factors a homesteader runs into first: off-grid legality, building-code burden, right-to-farm protections, rainwater-harvesting rules, raw-milk and cottage-food sales, and ag-tax exemptions.

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