Montana vs West Virginia

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

Montana

Rank #32

Overall Winner

Overall Score

63.6

Category Wins

4/10

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.74%

Property Tax

0.57%

Cost of Living

83.2

$1,230

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

130 days

Growing Season

180 days

20"

Annual Rainfall

55"

5/10

Soil Quality

5/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

10/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.93 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

70%

Broadband

72%

Montana Edges Out West Virginia Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 63.6 vs 62.5, Montana 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 $3,200/acre. West Virginia has a longer growing season (180 vs 130 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 0.74%).

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	Montana MT	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.9%	5.12%
	0%	6.55%
	0.74%	0.57%
	95	83.2
Land & Building
	$1,230	$3,200
	No Statewide Code	Partial
	Yes (Statewide)	Varies
Climate & Growing
	3a-6b	5b-7a
	130	180
	20"	55"
	5	5
	6	2
	1	2
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Unrestricted
	4.93	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Medium
	10	9
	Strong	Moderate
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	420	315
	35%	45%
Demographics & Community
	7.6	73.6
	45%	51%
	70%	72%
Business
	#5	#23
	$35/yr	$100/yr
	2.8%	4.5%

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