New Jersey vs Pennsylvania

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

New Jersey

Rank #49

Overall Score

41.9

Category Wins

2/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.49%

Property Tax

1.58%

130

Cost of Living

100

$16,000

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

180 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

54"

7/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.1 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

95%

Broadband

85%

Pennsylvania Edges Out New Jersey Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.1 vs 41.9, Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania offers cheaper farmland at $6,800/acre vs $16,000/acre. Pennsylvania has lower property taxes (1.58% vs 2.49%). Pennsylvania is more affordable with a cost of living index of 100 vs 130.

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 Jersey NJ	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	10.75%	3.07%
	6.625%	6.34%
	2.49%	1.58%
	130	100
Land & Building
	$16,000	$6,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Largely illegal; zoning typically prohibits tiny homes	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	6a-7a	5a-7a
	180	180
	48"	54"
	7	7
	3	3
	3	3
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.1	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Moderate	High
	2	7
	Moderate	Strong
	Illegal for human consumption	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	No	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	356	421
	12%	43%
Demographics & Community
	1,205	297
	5%	18%
	95%	85%
Business
	#36	#33
	$125/yr	$125/yr
	3.7%	3.9%

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