Delaware vs Maryland

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

Delaware

Rank #39

Overall Winner

Overall Score

61.7

Category Wins

4/10

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

1.05%

106

Cost of Living

116.2

$3,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$9,200

180 days

Growing Season

230 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

48"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

2/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.3 hrs

88%

Broadband

93%

Delaware Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 61.7 vs 54.6, Delaware comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 4 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 $9,200/acre. Maryland has a longer growing season (230 vs 180 days). Delaware has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 1.05%).

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	Maryland MD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	6.6%	5.75%
	0%	6%
	0.57%	1.05%
	106	116.2
Land & Building
	$3,400	$9,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	No Statewide Code
Climate & Growing
	7a-7b	6a-8a
	180	230
	48"	48"
	6	6
	4	2
	3	2
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	4.3
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Medium
	5	2
	Moderate	Moderate
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	454
	40%	20%
Demographics & Community
	501.2	636
	25%	13%
	88%	93%
Business
	#18	#46
	$90/yr	$100/yr
	3.4%	3.5%

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