HI
Overall Score
Category Wins
5/10
Overall Score
Category Wins
5/10
Quick Comparison
Winner highlighted per category
Iowa Edges Out Hawaii Overall
With an overall homesteading score of 65.8 vs 52.3, 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: Hawaii offers cheaper farmland at $8,500/acre vs $10,400/acre. Hawaii has a longer growing season (365 vs 175 days). Hawaii has lower property taxes (0.27% 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
| Data Point | Hawaii HI | Iowa IA |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Cost | ||
| Yes | Yes | |
| 8.75% | 3.9% | |
| 4.5% | 6.94% | |
| 0.27% | 1.52% | |
| 187 | 89.3 | |
| Land & Building | ||
| $8,500 | $10,400 | |
| Yes (Statewide) | Partial | |
| No Statewide Code | Varies | |
| Climate & Growing | ||
| 10a-13a | 4b-5b | |
| 365 | 175 | |
| 450" | 38" | |
| 6 | 10 | |
| 7 | 4 | |
| 1 | 6 | |
| Water & Energy | ||
| Allowed with Limits | Unrestricted | |
| 5.5 | 4.3 | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Laws & Freedom | ||
| Medium | Medium | |
| 2 | 8 | |
| Moderate | Strong | |
| No | Yes (Farm Sales Only) | |
| No | Yes | |
| Safety & Healthcare | ||
| 271 | 300 | |
| 50% | 28% | |
| Demographics & Community | ||
| 211.8 | 57.2 | |
| 8% | 36% | |
| 82% | 87% | |
| Business | ||
| #42 | #28 | |
| $150/yr | $50/yr | |
| 3.1% | 2.8% | |
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