Arkansas vs Iowa

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Arkansas

Rank #7

Overall Winner

Overall Score

70.9

Category Wins

7/10

Iowa

Rank #23

Overall Score

65.8

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.61%

Property Tax

1.52%

84.8

Cost of Living

89.3

$3,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$10,400

230 days

Growing Season

175 days

55"

Annual Rainfall

38"

6/10

Soil Quality

10/10

6/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.65 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.3 hrs

75%

Broadband

87%

Arkansas Edges Out Iowa Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 70.9 vs 65.8, Arkansas comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Arkansas offers cheaper farmland at $3,500/acre vs $10,400/acre. Arkansas has a longer growing season (230 vs 175 days). Arkansas has lower property taxes (0.61% vs 1.52%).

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Arkansas AR	Iowa IA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	3.9%	3.9%
	9.47%	6.94%
	0.61%	1.52%
	84.8	89.3
Land & Building
	$3,500	$10,400
	Partial	Partial
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	6b-8a	4b-5b
	230	175
	55"	38"
	6	10
	3	4
	6	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.65	4.3
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Medium
	9	8
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	579	300
	50%	28%
Demographics & Community
	58.4	57.2
	44%	36%
	75%	87%
Business
	#36	#28
	$45/yr	$50/yr
	3.6%	2.8%

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