Minnesota vs Montana

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

Minnesota

Rank #29

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.8

Category Wins

5/10

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.08%

Property Tax

0.74%

98.8

Cost of Living

$6,300

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,230

160 days

Growing Season

130 days

35"

Annual Rainfall

20"

8/10

Soil Quality

5/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

10/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.93 hrs

88%

Broadband

70%

Minnesota Edges Out Montana Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.8 vs 63.6, Minnesota 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: Montana offers cheaper farmland at $1,230/acre vs $6,300/acre. Minnesota has a longer growing season (160 vs 130 days). Montana has lower property taxes (0.74% vs 1.08%).

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	Minnesota MN	Montana MT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	9.85%	5.9%
	7.49%	0%
	1.08%	0.74%
	98.8	95
Land & Building
	$6,300	$1,230
	Yes (Statewide)	No Statewide Code
	Varies	Yes (Statewide)
Climate & Growing
	3a-5a	3a-6b
	160	130
	35"	20"
	8	5
	3	6
	5	1
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Allowed with Limits
	4.2	4.93
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Low
	5	10
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	280	420
	22%	35%
Demographics & Community
	71.7	7.6
	27%	45%
	88%	70%
Business
	#44	#5
	$155/yr	$35/yr
	2.9%	2.8%

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