New Jersey vs Wisconsin

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

New Jersey

Rank #49

Overall Score

41.9

Category Wins

4/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.49%

Property Tax

1.85%

130

Cost of Living

$16,000

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

180 days

Growing Season

170 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

36"

7/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.1 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

95%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out New Jersey Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 41.9, Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin offers cheaper farmland at $3,800/acre vs $16,000/acre. New Jersey has a longer growing season (180 vs 170 days). Wisconsin has lower property taxes (1.85% vs 2.49%).

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	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	10.75%	7.65%
	6.625%	5.43%
	2.49%	1.85%
	130	96
Land & Building
	$16,000	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Largely illegal; zoning typically prohibits tiny homes	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	6a-7a	3a-5b
	180	170
	48"	36"
	7	8
	3	3
	3	4
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.1	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Moderate	Moderate
	2	7
	Moderate	Very strong
	Illegal for human consumption	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	No	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	356	299
	12%	37%
Demographics & Community
	1,205	108
	5%	30%
	95%	84%
Business
	#36	#30
	$125/yr	$130/yr
	3.7%	3.5%

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