Pennsylvania vs Vermont

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

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

7/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

2/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.58%

Property Tax

2.1%

100

Cost of Living

117

$6,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

180 days

Growing Season

130 days

54"

Annual Rainfall

56"

7/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

7/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

85%

Broadband

82%

Vermont Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.9 vs 62.1, Vermont 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: Pennsylvania offers cheaper farmland at $6,800/acre vs $7,500/acre. Pennsylvania has a longer growing season (180 vs 130 days). Pennsylvania has lower property taxes (1.58% vs 2.1%).

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	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	3.07%	8.75%
	6.34%	6%
	1.58%	2.1%
	100	117
Land & Building
	$6,800	$7,500
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	2b-4b
	180	130
	54"	56"
	7	6
	3	2
	3	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.8	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	High
	7	7
	Strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	421	155
	43%	28%
Demographics & Community
	297	68
	18%	68%
	85%	82%
Business
	#33	#44
	$125/yr	$125/yr
	3.9%	3.1%

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