Maine vs Wisconsin

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

Maine

Rank #9

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.9

Category Wins

6/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.24%

Property Tax

1.85%

108.4

Cost of Living

$3,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

160 days

Growing Season

170 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

36"

5/10

Soil Quality

8/10

10/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

80%

Broadband

84%

Maine Edges Out Wisconsin Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.9 vs 66.5, Maine 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: Maine offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $3,800/acre. Wisconsin has a longer growing season (170 vs 160 days). Maine has lower property taxes (1.24% 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	Maine ME	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	7.15%	7.65%
	5.5%	5.43%
	1.24%	1.85%
	108.4	96
Land & Building
	$3,200	$3,800
	Partial	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	3b-6a	3a-5b
	160	170
	48"	36"
	5	8
	2	3
	1	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Moderate
	8	7
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Retail Sales)	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	112	299
	25%	37%
Demographics & Community
	44.2	108
	61%	30%
	80%	84%
Business
	#38	#30
	$175/yr	$130/yr
	3%	3.5%

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