North Carolina vs Wisconsin

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

North Carolina

Rank #13

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.2

Category Wins

6/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.84%

Property Tax

1.85%

Cost of Living

$4,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

230 days

Growing Season

170 days

80"

Annual Rainfall

36"

7/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

85%

Broadband

84%

North Carolina Edges Out Wisconsin Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.2 vs 66.5, 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: Wisconsin offers cheaper farmland at $3,800/acre vs $4,400/acre. North Carolina has a longer growing season (230 vs 170 days). North Carolina has lower property taxes (0.84% vs 1.85%).

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	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.25%	7.65%
	7.5%	5.43%
	0.84%	1.85%
	99	96
Land & Building
	$4,400	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; growing acceptance	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	7a-8b	3a-5b
	230	170
	80"	36"
	7	8
	4	3
	5	4
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.4	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Moderate
	8	7
	Very strong	Very strong
	Illegal for human consumption (herdshare/pet milk only)	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	393	299
	44%	37%
Demographics & Community
	217	108
	23%	30%
	85%	84%
Business
	#15	#30
	$125/yr	$130/yr
	3.5%	3.5%

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