New Jersey vs West Virginia

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

New Jersey

Rank #49

Overall Score

41.9

Category Wins

4/10

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.49%

Property Tax

0.57%

130

Cost of Living

83.2

$16,000

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

180 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

55"

7/10

Soil Quality

5/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.1 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

95%

Broadband

72%

West Virginia Edges Out New Jersey Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.5 vs 41.9, West Virginia 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: West Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $16,000/acre. West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 2.49%). West Virginia is more affordable with a cost of living index of 83.2 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	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	10.75%	5.12%
	6.625%	6.55%
	2.49%	0.57%
	130	83.2
Land & Building
	$16,000	$3,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Largely illegal; zoning typically prohibits tiny homes	Varies
Climate & Growing
	6a-7a	5b-7a
	180	180
	48"	55"
	7	5
	3	2
	3	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	4.1	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Moderate	Medium
	2	9
	Moderate	Moderate
	Illegal for human consumption	Herd Share Only
	No	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	356	315
	12%	45%
Demographics & Community
	1,205	73.6
	5%	51%
	95%	72%
Business
	#36	#23
	$125/yr	$100/yr
	3.7%	4.5%

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