State rankings
Best States To Homestead
Montana has the highest # of Homesteads (151,600), followed by North Dakota (118,472) and Colorado (107,618). Indiana has the lowest (30).
Culture50 states · 6 metricsUpdated Aug 2, 2023Original page
12 sources
- State by State Numbers - National Park Service
- New York Surprisingly Affordable, Utah Unexpectedly Expensive - InMyArea
- State Homestead Laws - FindLaw
- Homestead Exemptions by State and Territory - Asset Protection Planners
- 10 Best States for Homesteading - Home BioGas
- Best States for Homesteading - Primal Survivor
- Chickens, Livestock, Homesteading & Gardening - Rural Living Today
- Best States for Homesteading - AgronoMag
- 7 Best States For Homesteading (And 3 Worst) - Off Grid Nerd
- Best States for Homesteading with 5 Different Purposes in Mind - Wide Open Spaces
- The Top 12 US States for Homesteading - Crisis Equipped
- 10 Reasons To Start Homesteading Now, Right Where You Are - Redemption Permaculture
30 of 51 states
# of Homesteads
Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.
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All 30 ranked
Best first.
Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →
Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.
Median
49,988
Middle half 20K – 86.8K
Average
52,852
30 states
Highest
151,600
Montana
Lowest
30
Indiana
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
50 states · # = rank by # of Homesteads
| # | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Montana | 151,600 | 32.1M | $28,861 |
| 2 |  North Dakota | 118,472 | 17.4M | $46,117 |
| 3 |  Colorado | 107,618 | 22.1M | $11,561 |
| 4 |  Nebraska | 104,260 | 22.3M | $49,830 |
| 5 |  Oklahoma | 99,557 | 14.9M | $19,628 |
| 6 |  South Dakota | 97,197 | 15.7M | $77,352 |
| 7 |  Kansas | 89,945 | 13.1M | $11,596 |
| 8 |  New Mexico | 87,312 | 19.4M | $6,000 |
| 9 |  Minnesota | 85,072 | 10.4M | $47,375 |
| 10 |  Arkansas | 74,620 | 8.1M | $10,558 |
| 11 |  Wyoming | 67,315 | 18.2M | $54,000 |
| 12 |  California | 66,738 | 10.5M | $19,965 |
| 13 |  Oregon | 62,926 | 10.5M | $16,162 |
| 14 |  Idaho | 60,221 | 9.7M | $62,500 |
| 15 |  Washington | 58,156 | 8.5M | $80,357 |
| 16 |  Alabama | 41,819 | 4.6M | $18,103 |
| 17 |  Missouri | 34,633 | 3.6M | $14,078 |
| 18 |  Wisconsin | 29,246 | 3.1M | $25,229 |
| 19 |  Florida | 28,096 | 3.3M | $34,900 |
| 20 |  Mississippi | 24,126 | 2.6M | $10,835 |
| 21 |  Louisiana | 22,988 | 2.6M | $26,767 |
| 22 |  Arizona | 20,268 | 4.1M | $4,164 |
| 23 |  Michigan | 19,861 | 2.3M | $18,333 |
| 24 |  Utah | 16,798 | 3.6M | $195,960 |
| 25 |  Iowa | 8,851 | 903.2K | $51,087 |
| 26 |  Nevada | 4,370 | 704.2K | $59,942 |
| 27 |  Alaska | 3,277 | 363.8K | $62,163 |
| 28 |  Ohio | 108 | 7,707 | $69,620 |
| 29 |  Illinois | 74 | 5,667 | $29,250 |
| 30 |  Indiana | 30 | 1,785 | $43,750 |
| — |  Texas | — | — | $29,818 |
| — |  New York | — | — | $12,027 |
| — |  Pennsylvania | — | — | $42,539 |
| — |  Georgia | — | — | $29,983 |
| — |  North Carolina | — | — | $20,349 |
| — |  New Jersey | — | — | $242,883 |
| — |  Virginia | — | — | $23,864 |
| — |  Tennessee | — | — | $22,727 |
| — |  Massachusetts | — | — | $333,250 |
| — |  Maryland | — | — | $106,195 |
| — |  South Carolina | — | — | $22,129 |
| — |  Kentucky | — | — | $21,357 |
| — |  Connecticut | — | — | $282,925 |
| — |  West Virginia | — | — | $44,833 |
| — |  Hawaii | — | — | $202,429 |
| — |  New Hampshire | — | — | $165,149 |
| — |  Maine | — | — | $45,404 |
| — |  Rhode Island | — | — | $350,374 |
| — |  Delaware | — | — | $175,612 |
| — |  Vermont | — | — | $62,297 |
What correlates with # of Homesteads?
Pearson r against 2,107 other state metrics sharing at least 18 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher # of Homesteads tend to score higher on these (or rank better)
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher # of Homesteads tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)
Quick answers
- Which state has the highest # of Homesteads?
- Montana has the highest # of Homesteads, at 151,600, followed by North Dakota (118,472) and Colorado (107,618).
- Which state has the lowest # of Homesteads?
- Indiana has the lowest # of Homesteads, at 30.
- What is the median # of Homesteads across US states?
- The median is 49,988 across the 30 US states with data.
- Where does this best states to homestead data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: State by State Numbers - National Park Service; New York Surprisingly Affordable, Utah Unexpectedly Expensive - InMyArea; State Homestead Laws - FindLaw; Homestead Exemptions by State and Territory - Asset Protection Planners.