Minnesota vs North Dakota

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

Minnesota

Rank #29

Overall Score

64.8

Category Wins

4/10

North Dakota

Rank #12

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.08%

Property Tax

0.98%

98.8

Cost of Living

$6,300

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,750

160 days

Growing Season

140 days

35"

Annual Rainfall

22"

8/10

Soil Quality

9/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4 hrs

88%

Broadband

83%

North Dakota Edges Out Minnesota Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.5 vs 64.8, North Dakota 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: North Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,750/acre vs $6,300/acre. Minnesota has a longer growing season (160 vs 140 days). North Dakota has lower property taxes (0.98% 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	North Dakota ND
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	9.85%	2.5%
	7.49%	7.87%
	1.08%	0.98%
	98.8	96
Land & Building
	$6,300	$1,750
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local approval; generally allowed
Climate & Growing
	3a-5a	3a-4a
	160	140
	35"	22"
	8	9
	3	6
	5	5
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Minimal
	5	9
	Strong	Very strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	280	284
	22%	38%
Demographics & Community
	71.7	11
	27%	40%
	88%	83%
Business
	#44	#9
	$155/yr	$125/yr
	2.9%	2.1%

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