Rhode Island vs Wisconsin

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

Rhode Island

Rank #50

Overall Score

39.9

Category Wins

4/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

1.63%

Property Tax

1.85%

123

Cost of Living

$18,300

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

190 days

Growing Season

170 days

50"

Annual Rainfall

36"

6/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

3.9 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

97%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out Rhode Island Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 39.9, Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin offers cheaper farmland at $3,800/acre vs $18,300/acre. Rhode Island has a longer growing season (190 vs 170 days). Rhode Island has lower property taxes (1.63% vs 1.85%).

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	Rhode Island RI	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.99%	7.65%
	7%	5.43%
	1.63%	1.85%
	123	96
Land & Building
	$18,300	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Largely prohibited by zoning; ADU-friendly policies limited	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	6a-6b	3a-5b
	190	170
	50"	36"
	6	8
	3	3
	2	4
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.9	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Moderate
	3	7
	Weak	Very strong
	Illegal for human consumption	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	No	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	349	299
	20%	37%
Demographics & Community
	1,003	108
	10%	30%
	97%	84%
Business
	#45	#30
	$150/yr	$130/yr
	3.6%	3.5%

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