Idaho vs Maryland

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

Idaho

Rank #3

Overall Winner

Overall Score

72.0

Category Wins

7/10

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.63%

Property Tax

1.05%

95.3

Cost of Living

116.2

$4,180

Farm Land $/Acre

$9,200

160 days

Growing Season

230 days

25"

Annual Rainfall

48"

9/10

Soil Quality

6/10

10/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

10/10

Gun Friendly

2/10

4.92 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.3 hrs

82%

Broadband

93%

Idaho Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 72.0 vs 54.6, Idaho comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Idaho offers cheaper farmland at $4,180/acre vs $9,200/acre. Maryland has a longer growing season (230 vs 160 days). Idaho has lower property taxes (0.63% vs 1.05%).

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	Idaho ID	Maryland MD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.3%	5.75%
	6.02%	6%
	0.63%	1.05%
	95.3	116.2
Land & Building
	$4,180	$9,200
	No Statewide Code	Yes (Statewide)
	Yes (Statewide)	No Statewide Code
Climate & Growing
	3b-7b	6a-8a
	160	230
	25"	48"
	9	6
	5	2
	1	2
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Unrestricted
	4.92	4.3
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	None	Medium
	10	2
	Strong	Moderate
	Yes (Retail Sales)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	237	454
	30%	20%
Demographics & Community
	23.5	636
	30%	13%
	82%	93%
Business
	#11	#46
	$100/yr	$100/yr
	2.9%	3.5%

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