Delaware vs Pennsylvania

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

Delaware

Rank #39

Overall Score

61.7

Category Wins

4/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

1.58%

106

Cost of Living

100

$3,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

180 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

54"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

88%

Broadband

85%

Pennsylvania Edges Out Delaware Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.1 vs 61.7, Pennsylvania 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 $6,800/acre. Delaware has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 1.58%). Pennsylvania is more affordable with a cost of living index of 100 vs 106.

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	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	6.6%	3.07%
	0%	6.34%
	0.57%	1.58%
	106	100
Land & Building
	$3,400	$6,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	7a-7b	5a-7a
	180	180
	48"	54"
	6	7
	4	3
	3	3
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	High
	5	7
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	421
	40%	43%
Demographics & Community
	501.2	297
	25%	18%
	88%	85%
Business
	#18	#33
	$90/yr	$125/yr
	3.4%	3.9%

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