Iowa vs Minnesota

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

Iowa

Rank #23

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.8

Category Wins

6/10

Minnesota

Rank #29

Overall Score

64.8

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.52%

Property Tax

1.08%

89.3

Cost of Living

98.8

$10,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,300

175 days

Growing Season

160 days

38"

Annual Rainfall

35"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

8/10

Gun Friendly

5/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.2 hrs

87%

Broadband

88%

Iowa Edges Out Minnesota Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.8 vs 64.8, Iowa comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Minnesota offers cheaper farmland at $6,300/acre vs $10,400/acre. Iowa has a longer growing season (175 vs 160 days). Minnesota has lower property taxes (1.08% 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

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Iowa IA	Minnesota MN
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	3.9%	9.85%
	6.94%	7.49%
	1.52%	1.08%
	89.3	98.8
Land & Building
	$10,400	$6,300
	Partial	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	4b-5b	3a-5a
	175	160
	38"	35"
	10	8
	4	3
	6	5
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.3	4.2
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Medium
	8	5
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	300	280
	28%	22%
Demographics & Community
	57.2	71.7
	36%	27%
	87%	88%
Business
	#28	#44
	$50/yr	$155/yr
	2.8%	2.9%

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