Maryland vs Utah

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

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

3/10

Utah

Rank #19

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.6

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.05%

Property Tax

0.6%

116.2

Cost of Living

104

$9,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$2,800

230 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

24"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

5.5 hrs

93%

Broadband

88%

Utah Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.6 vs 54.6, Utah 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: Utah offers cheaper farmland at $2,800/acre vs $9,200/acre. Maryland has a longer growing season (230 vs 180 days). Utah has lower property taxes (0.6% 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	Utah UT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.75%	4.65%
	6%	7.25%
	1.05%	0.6%
	116.2	104
Land & Building
	$9,200	$2,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	No Statewide Code	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	6a-8a	4a-9a
	230	180
	48"	24"
	6	6
	2	8
	2	2
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.3	5.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Minimal
	2	9
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	454	267
	20%	38%
Demographics & Community
	636	38
	13%	11%
	93%	88%
Business
	#46	#16
	$100/yr	$50/yr
	3.5%	2.9%

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