Pennsylvania vs South Dakota

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

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

3/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

7/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.58%

Property Tax

0.84%

100

Cost of Living

$6,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

180 days

Growing Season

160 days

54"

Annual Rainfall

28"

7/10

Soil Quality

9/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

7/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

85%

Broadband

81%

South Dakota Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 62.1, 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 $6,800/acre. Pennsylvania has a longer growing season (180 vs 160 days). South Dakota has lower property taxes (0.84% vs 1.58%).

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	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	3.07%	—
	6.34%	7.33%
	1.58%	0.84%
	100	94
Land & Building
	$6,800	$1,950
	Yes (Statewide)	No (Local Adoption)
	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	3a-5a
	180	160
	54"	28"
	7	9
	3	6
	3	6
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.8	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Minimal
	7	9
	Strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	421	348
	43%	42%
Demographics & Community
	297	11
	18%	44%
	85%	81%
Business
	#33	#12
	$125/yr	$150/yr
	3.9%	2.7%

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