New Mexico vs North Dakota

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

New Mexico

Rank #41

Overall Score

61.1

Category Wins

5/10

North Dakota

Rank #12

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.8%

Property Tax

0.98%

Cost of Living

$1,250

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,750

200 days

Growing Season

140 days

24"

Annual Rainfall

22"

5/10

Soil Quality

9/10

5/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

8/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

5.9 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4 hrs

75%

Broadband

83%

North Dakota Edges Out New Mexico Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.5 vs 61.1, North Dakota 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: New Mexico offers cheaper farmland at $1,250/acre vs $1,750/acre. New Mexico has a longer growing season (200 vs 140 days). New Mexico has lower property taxes (0.8% vs 0.98%).

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 Mexico NM	North Dakota ND
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.9%	2.5%
	8.09%	7.87%
	0.8%	0.98%
	97	96
Land & Building
	$1,250	$1,750
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local approval; zoning permissive in many areas	Permitted with local approval; generally allowed
Climate & Growing
	4b-10a	3a-4a
	200	140
	24"	22"
	5	9
	8	6
	3	5
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	5.9	4
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Minimal
	8	9
	Strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	742	284
	52%	38%
Demographics & Community
	17	11
	28%	40%
	75%	83%
Business
	#34	#9
	$0/yr	$125/yr
	4.3%	2.1%

Not sure which state is right for you?

Use our free ranking tool to score all 50 states based on your personal priorities — from land prices and taxes to climate and community.

Rank States by Your Priorities