North Dakota vs Wisconsin

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

North Dakota

Rank #12

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.5

Category Wins

6/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.98%

Property Tax

1.85%

Cost of Living

$1,750

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

140 days

Growing Season

170 days

22"

Annual Rainfall

36"

9/10

Soil Quality

8/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

83%

Broadband

84%

North Dakota Edges Out Wisconsin Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.5 vs 66.5, North Dakota 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: North Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,750/acre vs $3,800/acre. Wisconsin has a longer growing season (170 vs 140 days). North Dakota has lower property taxes (0.98% 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 Dakota ND	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	2.5%	7.65%
	7.87%	5.43%
	0.98%	1.85%
	96	96
Land & Building
	$1,750	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local approval; generally allowed	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	3a-4a	3a-5b
	140	170
	22"	36"
	9	8
	6	3
	5	4
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Moderate
	9	7
	Very strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	284	299
	38%	37%
Demographics & Community
	11	108
	40%	30%
	83%	84%
Business
	#9	#30
	$125/yr	$130/yr
	2.1%	3.5%

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