Washington vs Wisconsin

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

Washington

Rank #31

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

4/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.94%

Property Tax

1.85%

112

Cost of Living

$4,700

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

210 days

Growing Season

170 days

100"

Annual Rainfall

36"

7/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

6/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

3.8 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

89%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out Washington Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 64.6, Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin offers cheaper farmland at $3,800/acre vs $4,700/acre. Washington has a longer growing season (210 vs 170 days). Washington has lower property taxes (0.94% vs 1.85%).

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	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	No	Yes
	—	7.65%
	9.22%	5.43%
	0.94%	1.85%
	112	96
Land & Building
	$4,700	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Permitted with zoning approval; increasingly allowed	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	8a-10a	3a-5b
	210	170
	100"	36"
	7	8
	5	3
	1	4
Water & Energy
	Permitted	Permitted
	3.8	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Minimal	Moderate
	6	7
	Strong	Very strong
	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	388	299
	44%	37%
Demographics & Community
	106	108
	17%	30%
	89%	84%
Business
	#22	#30
	$180/yr	$130/yr
	3.9%	3.5%

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