Maryland vs Michigan

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

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

5/10

Michigan

Rank #35

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.4

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.05%

Property Tax

1.38%

116.2

Cost of Living

91.5

$9,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,700

230 days

Growing Season

190 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

38"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

93%

Broadband

85%

Michigan Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.4 vs 54.6, Michigan 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: Michigan offers cheaper farmland at $6,700/acre vs $9,200/acre. Maryland has a longer growing season (230 vs 190 days). Maryland has lower property taxes (1.05% vs 1.38%).

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	Maryland MD	Michigan MI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.75%	4.25%
	6%	6%
	1.05%	1.38%
	116.2	91.5
Land & Building
	$9,200	$6,700
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	No Statewide Code	Varies
Climate & Growing
	6a-8a	4a-6b
	230	190
	48"	38"
	6	6
	2	2
	2	3
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.3	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	None
	2	6
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	454	478
	20%	30%
Demographics & Community
	636	177.1
	13%	25%
	93%	85%
Business
	#46	#12
	$100/yr	$50/yr
	3.5%	4.2%

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