Overall Score
Category Wins
5/10
UT
Overall Score
Category Wins
5/10
Quick Comparison
Winner highlighted per category
Idaho Edges Out Utah Overall
With an overall homesteading score of 72.0 vs 66.6, Idaho 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: Utah offers cheaper farmland at $2,800/acre vs $4,180/acre. Utah has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). Utah has lower property taxes (0.6% vs 0.63%).
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 | Utah UT |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Cost | ||
| Yes | Yes | |
| 5.3% | 4.65% | |
| 6.02% | 7.25% | |
| 0.63% | 0.6% | |
| 95.3 | 104 | |
| Land & Building | ||
| $4,180 | $2,800 | |
| No Statewide Code | Yes (Statewide) | |
| Yes (Statewide) | Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed | |
| Climate & Growing | ||
| 3b-7b | 4a-9a | |
| 160 | 180 | |
| 25" | 24" | |
| 9 | 6 | |
| 5 | 8 | |
| 1 | 2 | |
| Water & Energy | ||
| Allowed with Limits | Permitted | |
| 4.92 | 5.5 | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Laws & Freedom | ||
| None | Minimal | |
| 10 | 9 | |
| Strong | Strong | |
| Yes (Retail Sales) | Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Safety & Healthcare | ||
| 237 | 267 | |
| 30% | 38% | |
| Demographics & Community | ||
| 23.5 | 38 | |
| 30% | 11% | |
| 82% | 88% | |
| Business | ||
| #11 | #16 | |
| $100/yr | $50/yr | |
| 2.9% | 2.9% | |
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