Hawaii vs Pennsylvania

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

Hawaii

Rank #46

Overall Score

52.3

Category Wins

5/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.27%

Property Tax

1.58%

187

Cost of Living

100

$8,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

365 days

Growing Season

180 days

450"

Annual Rainfall

54"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

5.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

82%

Broadband

85%

Pennsylvania Edges Out Hawaii Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.1 vs 52.3, Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania offers cheaper farmland at $6,800/acre vs $8,500/acre. Hawaii has a longer growing season (365 vs 180 days). Hawaii has lower property taxes (0.27% vs 1.58%).

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	Hawaii HI	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	8.75%	3.07%
	4.5%	6.34%
	0.27%	1.58%
	187	100
Land & Building
	$8,500	$6,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	No Statewide Code	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	10a-13a	5a-7a
	365	180
	450"	54"
	6	7
	7	3
	1	3
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	5.5	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	High
	2	7
	Moderate	Strong
	No	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	No	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	271	421
	50%	43%
Demographics & Community
	211.8	297
	8%	18%
	82%	85%
Business
	#42	#33
	$150/yr	$125/yr
	3.1%	3.9%

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