New York vs Vermont

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

New York

Rank #43

Overall Score

58.6

Category Wins

7/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.72%

Property Tax

2.1%

113

Cost of Living

117

$5,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

170 days

Growing Season

130 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

56"

7/10

Soil Quality

6/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

3.9 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

89%

Broadband

82%

Vermont Edges Out New York Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.9 vs 58.6, Vermont comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: New York offers cheaper farmland at $5,200/acre vs $7,500/acre. New York has a longer growing season (170 vs 130 days). New York has lower property taxes (1.72% vs 2.1%).

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 York NY	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	10.9%	8.75%
	8%	6%
	1.72%	2.1%
	113	117
Land & Building
	$5,200	$7,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Zoning dependent; some towns allow with approval	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	3a-7a	2b-4b
	170	130
	50"	56"
	7	6
	3	2
	3	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.9	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Moderate-High	High
	3	7
	Strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	389	155
	42%	28%
Demographics & Community
	423	68
	17%	68%
	89%	82%
Business
	#48	#44
	$25/yr	$125/yr
	4%	3.1%

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