Washington vs West Virginia

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

Washington

Rank #31

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

5/10

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.94%

Property Tax

0.57%

112

Cost of Living

83.2

$4,700

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

210 days

Growing Season

180 days

100"

Annual Rainfall

55"

7/10

Soil Quality

5/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

89%

Broadband

72%

Washington Edges Out West Virginia Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.6 vs 62.5, Washington comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 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 $4,700/acre. Washington has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 0.94%).

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	Washington WA	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	No	Yes
	—	5.12%
	9.22%	6.55%
	0.94%	0.57%
	112	83.2
Land & Building
	$4,700	$3,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Permitted with zoning approval; increasingly allowed	Varies
Climate & Growing
	8a-10a	5b-7a
	210	180
	100"	55"
	7	5
	5	2
	1	2
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Unrestricted
	3.8	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Medium
	6	9
	Strong	Moderate
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	388	315
	44%	45%
Demographics & Community
	106	73.6
	17%	51%
	89%	72%
Business
	#22	#23
	$180/yr	$100/yr
	3.9%	4.5%

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