New York vs West Virginia

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

New York

Rank #43

Overall Score

58.6

Category Wins

4/10

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.72%

Property Tax

0.57%

113

Cost of Living

83.2

$5,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

170 days

Growing Season

180 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

55"

7/10

Soil Quality

5/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

3.9 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

89%

Broadband

72%

West Virginia Edges Out New York Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.5 vs 58.6, West Virginia 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: West Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $5,200/acre. West Virginia has a longer growing season (180 vs 170 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 1.72%).

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	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	10.9%	5.12%
	8%	6.55%
	1.72%	0.57%
	113	83.2
Land & Building
	$5,200	$3,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Zoning dependent; some towns allow with approval	Varies
Climate & Growing
	3a-7a	5b-7a
	170	180
	50"	55"
	7	5
	3	2
	3	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	3.9	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Moderate-High	Medium
	3	9
	Strong	Moderate
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	389	315
	42%	45%
Demographics & Community
	423	73.6
	17%	51%
	89%	72%
Business
	#48	#23
	$25/yr	$100/yr
	4%	4.5%

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