Pennsylvania vs Utah

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

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

3/10

Utah

Rank #19

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.6

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.58%

Property Tax

0.6%

100

Cost of Living

104

$6,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$2,800

180 days

Growing Season

180 days

54"

Annual Rainfall

24"

7/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

7/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

5.5 hrs

85%

Broadband

88%

Utah Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.6 vs 62.1, Utah 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: Utah offers cheaper farmland at $2,800/acre vs $6,800/acre. Utah has lower property taxes (0.6% vs 1.58%). Pennsylvania is more affordable with a cost of living index of 100 vs 104.

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	Utah UT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	3.07%	4.65%
	6.34%	7.25%
	1.58%	0.6%
	100	104
Land & Building
	$6,800	$2,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	4a-9a
	180	180
	54"	24"
	7	6
	3	8
	3	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.8	5.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Minimal
	7	9
	Strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	421	267
	43%	38%
Demographics & Community
	297	38
	18%	11%
	85%	88%
Business
	#33	#16
	$125/yr	$50/yr
	3.9%	2.9%

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