Maryland vs South Dakota

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

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

4/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.05%

Property Tax

0.84%

116.2

Cost of Living

$9,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

230 days

Growing Season

160 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

28"

6/10

Soil Quality

9/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

93%

Broadband

81%

South Dakota Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 54.6, South Dakota 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: South Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,950/acre vs $9,200/acre. Maryland has a longer growing season (230 vs 160 days). South Dakota has lower property taxes (0.84% vs 1.05%).

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	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	5.75%	—
	6%	7.33%
	1.05%	0.84%
	116.2	94
Land & Building
	$9,200	$1,950
	Yes (Statewide)	No (Local Adoption)
	No Statewide Code	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	6a-8a	3a-5a
	230	160
	48"	28"
	6	9
	2	6
	2	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.3	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Minimal
	2	9
	Moderate	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	454	348
	20%	42%
Demographics & Community
	636	11
	13%	44%
	93%	81%
Business
	#46	#12
	$100/yr	$150/yr
	3.5%	2.7%

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