New Hampshire vs Vermont

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

New Hampshire

Rank #38

Overall Score

62.0

Category Wins

3/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.18%

Property Tax

2.1%

118

Cost of Living

117

$8,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

140 days

Growing Season

130 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

56"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

81%

Broadband

82%

Vermont Edges Out New Hampshire Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.9 vs 62.0, Vermont 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: Vermont offers cheaper farmland at $7,500/acre vs $8,500/acre. New Hampshire has a longer growing season (140 vs 130 days). Vermont has lower property taxes (2.1% vs 2.18%).

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	New Hampshire NH	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	No	Yes
	—	8.75%
	0%	6%
	2.18%	2.1%
	118	117
Land & Building
	$8,500	$7,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	3b-5a	2b-4b
	140	130
	50"	56"
	6	6
	3	2
	2	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.8	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	High
	9	7
	Very strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	130	155
	30%	28%
Demographics & Community
	147	68
	34%	68%
	81%	82%
Business
	#22	#44
	$100/yr	$125/yr
	2.8%	3.1%

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