Vermont vs Virginia

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

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

3/10

Virginia

Rank #26

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.0

Category Wins

7/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.1%

Property Tax

0.84%

117

Cost of Living

108

$7,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,200

130 days

Growing Season

210 days

56"

Annual Rainfall

50"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

3.7 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

82%

Broadband

87%

Virginia Edges Out Vermont Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.0 vs 62.9, Virginia 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: Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $6,200/acre vs $7,500/acre. Virginia has a longer growing season (210 vs 130 days). Virginia 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	Vermont VT	Virginia VA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	8.75%	5.75%
	6%	5.87%
	2.1%	0.84%
	117	108
Land & Building
	$7,500	$6,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies	Zoning-dependent; increasingly permitted in some areas
Climate & Growing
	2b-4b	6a-8a
	130	210
	56"	50"
	6	7
	2	3
	1	3
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.7	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Moderate
	7	6
	Very strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	155	410
	28%	43%
Demographics & Community
	68	209
	68%	23%
	82%	87%
Business
	#44	#27
	$125/yr	$100/yr
	3.1%	3.4%

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