IA
Overall Score
Category Wins
5/10
Overall Score
Category Wins
4/10
Quick Comparison
Winner highlighted per category
Maine Edges Out Iowa Overall
With an overall homesteading score of 69.9 vs 65.8, Maine 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: Maine offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $10,400/acre. Iowa has a longer growing season (175 vs 160 days). Maine has lower property taxes (1.24% 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 | Iowa IA | Maine ME |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Cost | ||
| Yes | Yes | |
| 3.9% | 7.15% | |
| 6.94% | 5.5% | |
| 1.52% | 1.24% | |
| 89.3 | 108.4 | |
| Land & Building | ||
| $10,400 | $3,200 | |
| Partial | Partial | |
| Varies | Varies | |
| Climate & Growing | ||
| 4b-5b | 3b-6a | |
| 175 | 160 | |
| 38" | 48" | |
| 10 | 5 | |
| 4 | 2 | |
| 6 | 1 | |
| Water & Energy | ||
| Unrestricted | Unrestricted | |
| 4.3 | 4 | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Laws & Freedom | ||
| Medium | Medium | |
| 8 | 8 | |
| Strong | Strong | |
| Yes (Farm Sales Only) | Yes (Retail Sales) | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Safety & Healthcare | ||
| 300 | 112 | |
| 28% | 25% | |
| Demographics & Community | ||
| 57.2 | 44.2 | |
| 36% | 61% | |
| 87% | 80% | |
| Business | ||
| #28 | #38 | |
| $50/yr | $175/yr | |
| 2.8% | 3% | |
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