Maryland vs Tennessee

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

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

1/10

Tennessee

Rank #1

Overall Winner

Overall Score

73.6

Category Wins

8/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.05%

Property Tax

0.56%

116.2

Cost of Living

89.7

$9,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,500

230 days

Growing Season

230 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

60"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.45 hrs

93%

Broadband

85%

Tennessee Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 73.6 vs 54.6, Tennessee comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 8 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Tennessee offers cheaper farmland at $4,500/acre vs $9,200/acre. Tennessee has lower property taxes (0.56% vs 1.05%). Tennessee is more affordable with a cost of living index of 89.7 vs 116.2.

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	Tennessee TN
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	5.75%	—
	6%	9.55%
	1.05%	0.56%
	116.2	89.7
Land & Building
	$9,200	$4,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	No Statewide Code	Varies
Climate & Growing
	6a-8a	6a-8a
	230	230
	48"	60"
	6	7
	2	3
	2	5
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.3	4.45
	Yes	No
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Low
	2	9
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	454	600
	20%	44%
Demographics & Community
	636	167.4
	13%	34%
	93%	85%
Business
	#46	#8
	$100/yr	$300/yr
	3.5%	3.5%

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