North Dakota vs Virginia

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

North Dakota

Rank #12

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.5

Category Wins

5/10

Virginia

Rank #26

Overall Score

65.0

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.98%

Property Tax

0.84%

Cost of Living

108

$1,750

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,200

140 days

Growing Season

210 days

22"

Annual Rainfall

50"

9/10

Soil Quality

7/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

83%

Broadband

87%

North Dakota Edges Out Virginia Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.5 vs 65.0, North Dakota comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 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 $6,200/acre. Virginia has a longer growing season (210 vs 140 days). Virginia has lower property taxes (0.84% vs 0.98%).

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	Virginia VA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	2.5%	5.75%
	7.87%	5.87%
	0.98%	0.84%
	96	108
Land & Building
	$1,750	$6,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local approval; generally allowed	Zoning-dependent; increasingly permitted in some areas
Climate & Growing
	3a-4a	6a-8a
	140	210
	22"	50"
	9	7
	6	3
	5	3
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Moderate
	9	6
	Very strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	284	410
	38%	43%
Demographics & Community
	11	209
	40%	23%
	83%	87%
Business
	#9	#27
	$125/yr	$100/yr
	2.1%	3.4%

Not sure which state is right for you?

Use our free ranking tool to score all 50 states based on your personal priorities — from land prices and taxes to climate and community.

Rank States by Your Priorities