Pennsylvania vs Virginia

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

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

3/10

Virginia

Rank #26

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.0

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.58%

Property Tax

0.84%

100

Cost of Living

108

$6,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,200

180 days

Growing Season

210 days

54"

Annual Rainfall

50"

7/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

85%

Broadband

87%

Virginia Edges Out Pennsylvania Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.0 vs 62.1, Virginia comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $6,200/acre vs $6,800/acre. Virginia has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). Virginia 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	Virginia VA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	3.07%	5.75%
	6.34%	5.87%
	1.58%	0.84%
	100	108
Land & Building
	$6,800	$6,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities	Zoning-dependent; increasingly permitted in some areas
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	6a-8a
	180	210
	54"	50"
	7	7
	3	3
	3	3
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.8	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Moderate
	7	6
	Strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	421	410
	43%	43%
Demographics & Community
	297	209
	18%	23%
	85%	87%
Business
	#33	#27
	$125/yr	$100/yr
	3.9%	3.4%

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