Colorado vs Washington

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

Colorado

Rank #25

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.1

Category Wins

6/10

Washington

Rank #31

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.51%

Property Tax

0.94%

108

Cost of Living

112

$2,850

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,700

180 days

Growing Season

210 days

60"

Annual Rainfall

100"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

5.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

87%

Broadband

89%

Colorado Edges Out Washington Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.1 vs 64.6, Colorado comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Colorado offers cheaper farmland at $2,850/acre vs $4,700/acre. Washington has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). Colorado has lower property taxes (0.51% vs 0.94%).

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	Colorado CO	Washington WA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	4.63%	—
	7.65%	9.22%
	0.51%	0.94%
	108	112
Land & Building
	$2,850	$4,700
	No (Local Adoption)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	4a-7b	8a-10a
	180	210
	60"	100"
	6	7
	8	5
	4	1
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	5.3	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	7	6
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	407	388
	48%	44%
Demographics & Community
	48.51	106
	15%	17%
	87%	89%
Business
	#32	#22
	$50/yr	$180/yr
	2.9%	3.9%

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