West Virginia vs Wisconsin

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

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

6/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

1.85%

83.2

Cost of Living

$3,200

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

180 days

Growing Season

170 days

55"

Annual Rainfall

36"

5/10

Soil Quality

8/10

6/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

3.85 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

72%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out West Virginia Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 62.5, 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: West Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $3,800/acre. West Virginia has a longer growing season (180 vs 170 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% 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	West Virginia WV	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.12%	7.65%
	6.55%	5.43%
	0.57%	1.85%
	83.2	96
Land & Building
	$3,200	$3,800
	Partial	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	5b-7a	3a-5b
	180	170
	55"	36"
	5	8
	2	3
	2	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	3.85	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Medium	Moderate
	9	7
	Moderate	Very strong
	Herd Share Only	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	315	299
	45%	37%
Demographics & Community
	73.6	108
	51%	30%
	72%	84%
Business
	#23	#30
	$100/yr	$130/yr
	4.5%	3.5%

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