Vermont vs West Virginia

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

Vermont

Rank #33

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.9

Category Wins

4/10

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.1%

Property Tax

0.57%

117

Cost of Living

83.2

$7,500

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

130 days

Growing Season

180 days

56"

Annual Rainfall

55"

6/10

Soil Quality

5/10

9/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

7/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

3.7 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

82%

Broadband

72%

Vermont Edges Out West Virginia Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.9 vs 62.5, Vermont 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: West Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $7,500/acre. West Virginia has a longer growing season (180 vs 130 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% 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	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	8.75%	5.12%
	6%	6.55%
	2.1%	0.57%
	117	83.2
Land & Building
	$7,500	$3,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Permitted with local approval; ADU-friendly policies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	2b-4b	5b-7a
	130	180
	56"	55"
	6	5
	2	2
	1	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	3.7	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	High	Medium
	7	9
	Very strong	Moderate
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	155	315
	28%	45%
Demographics & Community
	68	73.6
	68%	51%
	82%	72%
Business
	#44	#23
	$125/yr	$100/yr
	3.1%	4.5%

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