Maryland vs Wisconsin

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

Maryland

Rank #45

Overall Score

54.6

Category Wins

5/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.05%

Property Tax

1.85%

116.2

Cost of Living

$9,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

230 days

Growing Season

170 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

36"

6/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

93%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out Maryland Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 54.6, Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin offers cheaper farmland at $3,800/acre vs $9,200/acre. Maryland has a longer growing season (230 vs 170 days). Maryland has lower property taxes (1.05% 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	Maryland MD	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.75%	7.65%
	6%	5.43%
	1.05%	1.85%
	116.2	96
Land & Building
	$9,200	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	No Statewide Code	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	6a-8a	3a-5b
	230	170
	48"	36"
	6	8
	2	3
	2	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.3	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Moderate
	2	7
	Moderate	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	454	299
	20%	37%
Demographics & Community
	636	108
	13%	30%
	93%	84%
Business
	#46	#30
	$100/yr	$130/yr
	3.5%	3.5%

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