Oregon vs Washington

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

Oregon

Rank #18

Overall Winner

Overall Score

67.3

Category Wins

4/10

Washington

Rank #31

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.98%

Property Tax

0.94%

108

Cost of Living

112

$4,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,700

210 days

Growing Season

210 days

70"

Annual Rainfall

100"

8/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

6/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.4 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

88%

Broadband

89%

Oregon Edges Out Washington Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 67.3 vs 64.6, Oregon comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 4 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Oregon offers cheaper farmland at $4,200/acre vs $4,700/acre. Washington has lower property taxes (0.94% vs 0.98%). Oregon is more affordable with a cost of living index of 108 vs 112.

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	Oregon OR	Washington WA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	9.9%	—
	0%	9.22%
	0.98%	0.94%
	108	112
Land & Building
	$4,200	$4,700
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Increasingly permitted with zoning approval; ADU-friendly policies	Permitted with zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	8a-9b	8a-10a
	210	210
	70"	100"
	8	7
	5	5
	2	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.4	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Minimal
	6	6
	Very strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	407	388
	46%	44%
Demographics & Community
	42	106
	21%	17%
	88%	89%
Business
	#39	#22
	$50/yr	$180/yr
	3.8%	3.9%

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