Delaware vs South Dakota

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

Delaware

Rank #39

Overall Score

61.7

Category Wins

5/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

0.84%

106

Cost of Living

$3,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

180 days

Growing Season

160 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

28"

6/10

Soil Quality

9/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

88%

Broadband

81%

South Dakota Edges Out Delaware Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 61.7, South Dakota 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: South Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,950/acre vs $3,400/acre. Delaware has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). Delaware has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 0.84%).

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	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	6.6%	—
	0%	7.33%
	0.57%	0.84%
	106	94
Land & Building
	$3,400	$1,950
	Yes (Statewide)	No (Local Adoption)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	7a-7b	3a-5a
	180	160
	48"	28"
	6	9
	4	6
	3	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	5	9
	Moderate	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	348
	40%	42%
Demographics & Community
	501.2	11
	25%	44%
	88%	81%
Business
	#18	#12
	$90/yr	$150/yr
	3.4%	2.7%

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