Nebraska vs Pennsylvania

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

Nebraska

Rank #4

Overall Winner

Overall Score

71.8

Category Wins

8/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

2/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.82%

Property Tax

1.58%

Cost of Living

100

$2,650

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

160 days

Growing Season

180 days

32"

Annual Rainfall

54"

9/10

Soil Quality

7/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

86%

Broadband

85%

Nebraska Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 71.8 vs 62.1, Nebraska comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 8 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Nebraska offers cheaper farmland at $2,650/acre vs $6,800/acre. Pennsylvania has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). Nebraska has lower property taxes (0.82% 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	Nebraska NE	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.2%	3.07%
	6.84%	6.34%
	0.82%	1.58%
	93	100
Land & Building
	$2,650	$6,800
	No (Local Adoption)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; state allows inclusion in residential zones	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	4b-5b	5a-7a
	160	180
	32"	54"
	9	7
	5	3
	7	3
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.2	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	High
	9	7
	Very strong	Strong
	On-farm direct sales only	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	291	421
	32%	43%
Demographics & Community
	24	297
	30%	18%
	86%	85%
Business
	#18	#33
	$100/yr	$125/yr
	3%	3.9%

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