New Hampshire vs West Virginia

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

New Hampshire

Rank #38

Overall Score

62.0

Category Wins

3/10

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.18%

Property Tax

0.57%

118

Cost of Living

83.2

$8,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

140 days

Growing Season

180 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

55"

6/10

Soil Quality

5/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

81%

Broadband

72%

West Virginia Edges Out New Hampshire Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.5 vs 62.0, West Virginia comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: West Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $8,500/acre. West Virginia has a longer growing season (180 vs 140 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% 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	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	No	Yes
	—	5.12%
	0%	6.55%
	2.18%	0.57%
	118	83.2
Land & Building
	$8,500	$3,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Varies
Climate & Growing
	3b-5a	5b-7a
	140	180
	50"	55"
	6	5
	3	2
	2	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	3.8	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Medium
	9	9
	Very strong	Moderate
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	130	315
	30%	45%
Demographics & Community
	147	73.6
	34%	51%
	81%	72%
Business
	#22	#23
	$100/yr	$100/yr
	2.8%	4.5%

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