Delaware vs Iowa

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

Delaware

Rank #39

Overall Score

61.7

Category Wins

5/10

Iowa

Rank #23

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.8

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

1.52%

106

Cost of Living

89.3

$3,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$10,400

180 days

Growing Season

175 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

38"

6/10

Soil Quality

10/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.3 hrs

88%

Broadband

87%

Iowa Edges Out Delaware Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.8 vs 61.7, Iowa comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Delaware offers cheaper farmland at $3,400/acre vs $10,400/acre. Delaware has a longer growing season (180 vs 175 days). Delaware has lower property taxes (0.57% 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	Delaware DE	Iowa IA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	6.6%	3.9%
	0%	6.94%
	0.57%	1.52%
	106	89.3
Land & Building
	$3,400	$10,400
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	7a-7b	4b-5b
	180	175
	48"	38"
	6	10
	4	4
	3	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	4.3
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Medium
	5	8
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	300
	40%	28%
Demographics & Community
	501.2	57.2
	25%	36%
	88%	87%
Business
	#18	#28
	$90/yr	$50/yr
	3.4%	2.8%

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