Kentucky vs Montana
Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more
Overall Score
Category Wins
5/10
MT
Overall Score
Category Wins
4/10
Quick Comparison
Winner highlighted per category
Kentucky Edges Out Montana Overall
With an overall homesteading score of 71.3 vs 63.6, Kentucky 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: Montana offers cheaper farmland at $1,230/acre vs $4,800/acre. Kentucky has a longer growing season (210 vs 130 days). Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 0.83%).
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 | Kentucky KY | Montana MT |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Cost | ||
| Yes | Yes | |
| 4% | 5.9% | |
| 6% | 0% | |
| 0.83% | 0.74% | |
| 86.3 | 95 | |
| Land & Building | ||
| $4,800 | $1,230 | |
| Partial | No Statewide Code | |
| Varies | Yes (Statewide) | |
| Climate & Growing | ||
| 6a-7b | 3a-6b | |
| 210 | 130 | |
| 50" | 20" | |
| 8 | 5 | |
| 2 | 6 | |
| 4 | 1 | |
| Water & Energy | ||
| Unrestricted | Allowed with Limits | |
| 4.25 | 4.93 | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Laws & Freedom | ||
| Low | Low | |
| 9 | 10 | |
| Strong | Strong | |
| Yes (Farm Sales Only) | Yes (Farm Sales Only) | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Safety & Healthcare | ||
| 250 | 420 | |
| 38% | 35% | |
| Demographics & Community | ||
| 114.1 | 7.6 | |
| 42% | 45% | |
| 82% | 70% | |
| Business | ||
| #23 | #5 | |
| $40/yr | $35/yr | |
| 4% | 2.8% | |
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