Minnesota vs Pennsylvania

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

Minnesota

Rank #29

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.8

Category Wins

7/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.08%

Property Tax

1.58%

98.8

Cost of Living

100

$6,300

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

160 days

Growing Season

180 days

35"

Annual Rainfall

54"

8/10

Soil Quality

7/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

88%

Broadband

85%

Minnesota Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.8 vs 62.1, Minnesota 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: Minnesota offers cheaper farmland at $6,300/acre vs $6,800/acre. Pennsylvania has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). Minnesota has lower property taxes (1.08% vs 1.58%).

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	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	9.85%	3.07%
	7.49%	6.34%
	1.08%	1.58%
	98.8	100
Land & Building
	$6,300	$6,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	3a-5a	5a-7a
	160	180
	35"	54"
	8	7
	3	3
	5	3
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	High
	5	7
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	280	421
	22%	43%
Demographics & Community
	71.7	297
	27%	18%
	88%	85%
Business
	#44	#33
	$155/yr	$125/yr
	2.9%	3.9%

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