Iowa vs Wisconsin

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

Iowa

Rank #23

Overall Score

65.8

Category Wins

9/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

1/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.52%

Property Tax

1.85%

89.3

Cost of Living

$10,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

175 days

Growing Season

170 days

38"

Annual Rainfall

36"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

87%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out Iowa Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 65.8, Wisconsin comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 9 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Wisconsin offers cheaper farmland at $3,800/acre vs $10,400/acre. Iowa has a longer growing season (175 vs 170 days). Iowa has lower property taxes (1.52% vs 1.85%).

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	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	3.9%	7.65%
	6.94%	5.43%
	1.52%	1.85%
	89.3	96
Land & Building
	$10,400	$3,800
	Partial	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	4b-5b	3a-5b
	175	170
	38"	36"
	10	8
	4	3
	6	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.3	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Moderate
	8	7
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	300	299
	28%	37%
Demographics & Community
	57.2	108
	36%	30%
	87%	84%
Business
	#28	#30
	$50/yr	$130/yr
	2.8%	3.5%

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