Best States for Homesteading

Every state scored on the eight factors that decide whether a homestead works in practice — water security, land affordability, growing climate, legal freedom, natural-hazard exposure, rural space, broadband for remote income, and healthcare access.

#StateOverall scoreScore
1Arkansas84/10084
2Mississippi81/10081
3Tennessee79/10079
4Kentucky78/10078
5Alabama76/10076
6Indiana76/10076
7Georgia74/10074
8Missouri74/10074
9South Carolina73/10073
10West Virginia73/10073
11Louisiana70/10070
12Oklahoma66/10066
13Florida63/10063
14Virginia63/10063
15North Carolina61/10061
16Iowa60/10060
17Nebraska60/10060
18Ohio60/10060
19Maine59/10059
20Michigan59/10059
21Pennsylvania56/10056
22Texas55/10055
23Kansas52/10052
24Illinois51/10051
25North Dakota49/10049
26Vermont49/10049
27Minnesota48/10048
28South Dakota48/10048
29Wisconsin48/10048
30Maryland47/10047
31Idaho46/10046
32Delaware45/10045
33New York44/10044
34Alaska43/10043
35Wyoming42/10042
36Arizona41/10041
37Montana39/10039
38New Mexico38/10038
39Oregon38/10038
40Hawaii37/10037
41Massachusetts37/10037
42New Hampshire37/10037
43Colorado35/10035
44Washington33/10033
45Utah32/10032
46California31/10031
47Nevada28/10028
48Rhode Island27/10027
49New Jersey13/10013
50Connecticut5/1005

Rankings are computed automatically from public-dataset figures (U.S. Census, USDA, NOAA, FEMA, FCC, BLS) using the same homestead-scoring model as our state and county pages, so they update as the data does. Read the full methodology. Data verified June 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How is the homesteading score calculated?

It is a weighted average of eight axes — water security, climate and growing season, land and cost, legal freedom, natural hazards, rural space, connectivity, and healthcare access — derived only from sourced public data. No figures are invented.

Does the ranking change over time?

Yes. The score is computed live from the underlying data, so when a state's figures are updated the ranking adjusts automatically.

More rankings

All rankings