Ohio vs South Dakota

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

Ohio

Rank #30

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

3/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

7/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.56%

Property Tax

0.84%

Cost of Living

$5,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

180 days

Growing Season

160 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

28"

8/10

Soil Quality

9/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

84%

Broadband

81%

South Dakota Edges Out Ohio Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 64.6, South Dakota comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: South Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,950/acre vs $5,800/acre. Ohio has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). South Dakota has lower property taxes (0.84% vs 1.56%).

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	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	2.75%	—
	7.21%	7.33%
	1.56%	0.84%
	95	94
Land & Building
	$5,800	$1,950
	Yes (Statewide)	No (Local Adoption)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	5a-6b	3a-5a
	180	160
	48"	28"
	8	9
	3	6
	5	6
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Moderate	Minimal
	8	9
	Strong	Very strong
	Herd Share Only	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	383	348
	40%	42%
Demographics & Community
	287	11
	24%	44%
	84%	81%
Business
	#26	#12
	$99/yr	$150/yr
	4%	2.7%

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