Massachusetts vs Washington

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

Massachusetts

Rank #47

Overall Score

50.8

Category Wins

3/10

Washington

Rank #31

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

7/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.15%

Property Tax

0.94%

131.6

Cost of Living

112

$13,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,700

200 days

Growing Season

210 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

100"

5/10

Soil Quality

7/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

1/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.05 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

95%

Broadband

89%

Washington Edges Out Massachusetts Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.6 vs 50.8, Washington comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Washington offers cheaper farmland at $4,700/acre vs $13,500/acre. Washington has a longer growing season (210 vs 200 days). Washington has lower property taxes (0.94% vs 1.15%).

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	Massachusetts MA	Washington WA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	9%	—
	6.25%	9.22%
	1.15%	0.94%
	131.6	112
Land & Building
	$13,500	$4,700
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	No Statewide Code	Permitted with zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	5b-7a	8a-10a
	200	210
	50"	100"
	5	7
	2	5
	1	1
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.05	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Minimal
	1	6
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	327	388
	15%	44%
Demographics & Community
	901.2	106
	8%	17%
	95%	89%
Business
	#34	#22
	$500/yr	$180/yr
	3.5%	3.9%

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