North Dakota vs Pennsylvania

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

North Dakota

Rank #12

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.5

Category Wins

7/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.98%

Property Tax

1.58%

Cost of Living

100

$1,750

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

140 days

Growing Season

180 days

22"

Annual Rainfall

54"

9/10

Soil Quality

7/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

83%

Broadband

85%

North Dakota Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.5 vs 62.1, North Dakota 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: North Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,750/acre vs $6,800/acre. Pennsylvania has a longer growing season (180 vs 140 days). North Dakota has lower property taxes (0.98% vs 1.58%).

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 Dakota ND	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	2.5%	3.07%
	7.87%	6.34%
	0.98%	1.58%
	96	100
Land & Building
	$1,750	$6,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local approval; generally allowed	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	3a-4a	5a-7a
	140	180
	22"	54"
	9	7
	6	3
	5	3
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	High
	9	7
	Very strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	284	421
	38%	43%
Demographics & Community
	11	297
	40%	18%
	83%	85%
Business
	#9	#33
	$125/yr	$125/yr
	2.1%	3.9%

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