South Dakota vs Tennessee

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

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

2/10

Tennessee

Rank #1

Overall Winner

Overall Score

73.6

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.84%

Property Tax

0.56%

Cost of Living

89.7

$1,950

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,500

160 days

Growing Season

230 days

28"

Annual Rainfall

60"

9/10

Soil Quality

7/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.1 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.45 hrs

81%

Broadband

85%

Tennessee Edges Out South Dakota Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 73.6 vs 69.6, Tennessee 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: South Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,950/acre vs $4,500/acre. Tennessee has a longer growing season (230 vs 160 days). Tennessee has lower property taxes (0.56% vs 0.84%).

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	South Dakota SD	Tennessee TN
Taxes & Cost
	No	No
	—	—
	7.33%	9.55%
	0.84%	0.56%
	94	89.7
Land & Building
	$1,950	$4,500
	No (Local Adoption)	Partial
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Varies
Climate & Growing
	3a-5a	6a-8a
	160	230
	28"	60"
	9	7
	6	3
	6	5
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	4.1	4.45
	Yes	No
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Low
	9	9
	Very strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	348	600
	42%	44%
Demographics & Community
	11	167.4
	44%	34%
	81%	85%
Business
	#12	#8
	$150/yr	$300/yr
	2.7%	3.5%

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