Massachusetts vs Wisconsin

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

Massachusetts

Rank #47

Overall Score

50.8

Category Wins

5/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.15%

Property Tax

1.85%

131.6

Cost of Living

$13,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

200 days

Growing Season

170 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

36"

5/10

Soil Quality

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

1/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.05 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

95%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out Massachusetts Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 50.8, 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 $13,500/acre. Massachusetts has a longer growing season (200 vs 170 days). Massachusetts has lower property taxes (1.15% 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	Massachusetts MA	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	9%	7.65%
	6.25%	5.43%
	1.15%	1.85%
	131.6	96
Land & Building
	$13,500	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	No Statewide Code	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	5b-7a	3a-5b
	200	170
	50"	36"
	5	8
	2	3
	1	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.05	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Moderate
	1	7
	Moderate	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	327	299
	15%	37%
Demographics & Community
	901.2	108
	8%	30%
	95%	84%
Business
	#34	#30
	$500/yr	$130/yr
	3.5%	3.5%

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