South Dakota vs Vermont

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

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

7/10

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.84%

Property Tax

2.1%

Cost of Living

117

$1,950

Farm Land $/Acre

$7,500

160 days

Growing Season

130 days

28"

Annual Rainfall

56"

9/10

Soil Quality

6/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.1 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.7 hrs

81%

Broadband

82%

South Dakota Edges Out Vermont Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 62.9, South Dakota 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: South Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,950/acre vs $7,500/acre. South Dakota has a longer growing season (160 vs 130 days). South Dakota has lower property taxes (0.84% 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	South Dakota SD	Vermont VT
Taxes & Cost
	No	Yes
	—	8.75%
	7.33%	6%
	0.84%	2.1%
	94	117
Land & Building
	$1,950	$7,500
	No (Local Adoption)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	3a-5a	2b-4b
	160	130
	28"	56"
	9	6
	6	2
	6	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	4.1	3.7
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	High
	9	7
	Very strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	348	155
	42%	28%
Demographics & Community
	11	68
	44%	68%
	81%	82%
Business
	#12	#44
	$150/yr	$125/yr
	2.7%	3.1%

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