Vermont vs Washington

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

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

2/10

Washington

Rank #31

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

8/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.1%

Property Tax

0.94%

117

Cost of Living

112

$7,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,700

130 days

Growing Season

210 days

56"

Annual Rainfall

100"

6/10

Soil Quality

7/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

3.7 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

82%

Broadband

89%

Washington Edges Out Vermont Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.6 vs 62.9, Washington comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 8 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Washington offers cheaper farmland at $4,700/acre vs $7,500/acre. Washington has a longer growing season (210 vs 130 days). Washington has lower property taxes (0.94% 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	Washington WA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	8.75%	—
	6%	9.22%
	2.1%	0.94%
	117	112
Land & Building
	$7,500	$4,700
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies	Permitted with zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	2b-4b	8a-10a
	130	210
	56"	100"
	6	7
	2	5
	1	1
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.7	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Minimal
	7	6
	Very strong	Strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	155	388
	28%	44%
Demographics & Community
	68	106
	68%	17%
	82%	89%
Business
	#44	#22
	$125/yr	$180/yr
	3.1%	3.9%

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