Pennsylvania vs Rhode Island

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

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

6/10

Rhode Island

Rank #50

Overall Score

39.9

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.58%

Property Tax

1.63%

100

Cost of Living

123

$6,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$18,300

180 days

Growing Season

190 days

54"

Annual Rainfall

50"

7/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

Gun Friendly

3/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

85%

Broadband

97%

Pennsylvania Edges Out Rhode Island Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.1 vs 39.9, Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania offers cheaper farmland at $6,800/acre vs $18,300/acre. Rhode Island has a longer growing season (190 vs 180 days). Pennsylvania has lower property taxes (1.58% vs 1.63%).

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	Pennsylvania PA	Rhode Island RI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	3.07%	5.99%
	6.34%	7%
	1.58%	1.63%
	100	123
Land & Building
	$6,800	$18,300
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities	Largely prohibited by zoning; ADU-friendly policies limited
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	6a-6b
	180	190
	54"	50"
	7	6
	3	3
	3	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.8	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	High
	7	3
	Strong	Weak
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Illegal for human consumption
	Yes	No
Safety & Healthcare
	421	349
	43%	20%
Demographics & Community
	297	1,003
	18%	10%
	85%	97%
Business
	#33	#45
	$125/yr	$150/yr
	3.9%	3.6%

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