Idaho vs Pennsylvania
Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more
Overall Score
Category Wins
7/10
Overall Score
Category Wins
3/10
Quick Comparison
Winner highlighted per category
Idaho Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall
With an overall homesteading score of 72.0 vs 62.1, 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 $6,800/acre. Pennsylvania has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). Idaho has lower property taxes (0.63% 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
| Data Point | Idaho ID | Pennsylvania PA |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Cost | ||
| Yes | Yes | |
| 5.3% | 3.07% | |
| 6.02% | 6.34% | |
| 0.63% | 1.58% | |
| 95.3 | 100 | |
| Land & Building | ||
| $4,180 | $6,800 | |
| No Statewide Code | Yes (Statewide) | |
| Yes (Statewide) | Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities | |
| Climate & Growing | ||
| 3b-7b | 5a-7a | |
| 160 | 180 | |
| 25" | 54" | |
| 9 | 7 | |
| 5 | 3 | |
| 1 | 3 | |
| Water & Energy | ||
| Allowed with Limits | Permitted | |
| 4.92 | 3.8 | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Laws & Freedom | ||
| None | High | |
| 10 | 7 | |
| Strong | Strong | |
| Yes (Retail Sales) | Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Safety & Healthcare | ||
| 237 | 421 | |
| 30% | 43% | |
| Demographics & Community | ||
| 23.5 | 297 | |
| 30% | 18% | |
| 82% | 85% | |
| Business | ||
| #11 | #33 | |
| $100/yr | $125/yr | |
| 2.9% | 3.9% | |
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