Ohio vs Pennsylvania

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

Ohio

Rank #30

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

6/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

2/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.56%

Property Tax

1.58%

Cost of Living

100

$5,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

180 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

54"

8/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

8/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

84%

Broadband

85%

Ohio Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.6 vs 62.1, Ohio 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: Ohio offers cheaper farmland at $5,800/acre vs $6,800/acre. Ohio has lower property taxes (1.56% vs 1.58%). Ohio is more affordable with a cost of living index of 95 vs 100.

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	Ohio OH	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	2.75%	3.07%
	7.21%	6.34%
	1.56%	1.58%
	95	100
Land & Building
	$5,800	$6,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	5a-6b	5a-7a
	180	180
	48"	54"
	8	7
	3	3
	5	3
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Moderate	High
	8	7
	Strong	Strong
	Herd Share Only	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	383	421
	40%	43%
Demographics & Community
	287	297
	24%	18%
	84%	85%
Business
	#26	#33
	$99/yr	$125/yr
	4%	3.9%

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