North Dakota vs West 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

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.98%

Property Tax

0.57%

Cost of Living

83.2

$1,750

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

140 days

Growing Season

180 days

22"

Annual Rainfall

55"

9/10

Soil Quality

5/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

83%

Broadband

72%

North Dakota Edges Out West Virginia Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.5 vs 62.5, 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 $3,200/acre. West Virginia has a longer growing season (180 vs 140 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% 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	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	2.5%	5.12%
	7.87%	6.55%
	0.98%	0.57%
	96	83.2
Land & Building
	$1,750	$3,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Permitted with local approval; generally allowed	Varies
Climate & Growing
	3a-4a	5b-7a
	140	180
	22"	55"
	9	5
	6	2
	5	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	4	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Medium
	9	9
	Very strong	Moderate
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	284	315
	38%	45%
Demographics & Community
	11	73.6
	40%	51%
	83%	72%
Business
	#9	#23
	$125/yr	$100/yr
	2.1%	4.5%

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