Delaware vs Virginia

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

Delaware

Rank #39

Overall Score

61.7

Category Wins

5/10

Virginia

Rank #26

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.0

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

0.84%

106

Cost of Living

108

$3,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,200

180 days

Growing Season

210 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

50"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

88%

Broadband

87%

Virginia Edges Out Delaware Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.0 vs 61.7, Virginia 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 $6,200/acre. Virginia has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 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	Virginia VA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	6.6%	5.75%
	0%	5.87%
	0.57%	0.84%
	106	108
Land & Building
	$3,400	$6,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Zoning-dependent; increasingly permitted in some areas
Climate & Growing
	7a-7b	6a-8a
	180	210
	48"	50"
	6	7
	4	3
	3	3
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Moderate
	5	6
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	410
	40%	43%
Demographics & Community
	501.2	209
	25%	23%
	88%	87%
Business
	#18	#27
	$90/yr	$100/yr
	3.4%	3.4%

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