North Carolina vs Utah

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

North Carolina

Rank #13

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.2

Category Wins

4/10

Utah

Rank #19

Overall Score

66.6

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.84%

Property Tax

0.6%

Cost of Living

104

$4,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$2,800

230 days

Growing Season

180 days

80"

Annual Rainfall

24"

7/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

5.5 hrs

85%

Broadband

88%

North Carolina Edges Out Utah Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.2 vs 66.6, North Carolina 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: Utah offers cheaper farmland at $2,800/acre vs $4,400/acre. North Carolina has a longer growing season (230 vs 180 days). Utah has lower property taxes (0.6% vs 0.84%).

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	North Carolina NC	Utah UT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.25%	4.65%
	7.5%	7.25%
	0.84%	0.6%
	99	104
Land & Building
	$4,400	$2,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; growing acceptance	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	7a-8b	4a-9a
	230	180
	80"	24"
	7	6
	4	8
	5	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.4	5.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Minimal
	8	9
	Very strong	Strong
	Illegal for human consumption (herdshare/pet milk only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	393	267
	44%	38%
Demographics & Community
	217	38
	23%	11%
	85%	88%
Business
	#15	#16
	$125/yr	$50/yr
	3.5%	2.9%

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