North Dakota vs Vermont

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

North Dakota

Rank #12

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.5

Category Wins

8/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

1/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.98%

Property Tax

2.1%

Cost of Living

117

$1,750

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

140 days

Growing Season

130 days

22"

Annual Rainfall

56"

9/10

Soil Quality

6/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

83%

Broadband

82%

North Dakota Edges Out Vermont Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.5 vs 62.9, North Dakota comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 8 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 $7,500/acre. North Dakota has a longer growing season (140 vs 130 days). North Dakota has lower property taxes (0.98% 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	North Dakota ND	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	2.5%	8.75%
	7.87%	6%
	0.98%	2.1%
	96	117
Land & Building
	$1,750	$7,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local approval; generally allowed	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	3a-4a	2b-4b
	140	130
	22"	56"
	9	6
	6	2
	5	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	High
	9	7
	Very strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	284	155
	38%	28%
Demographics & Community
	11	68
	40%	68%
	83%	82%
Business
	#9	#44
	$125/yr	$125/yr
	2.1%	3.1%

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