State Rankings
Best States for Homesteading
Ranked by growing capacity, wild edible diversity, season length, and regulatory friendliness.
| # | State | Score | Crops | Edible plants | Growing season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 81 | 43 | 62 | 310 days |
| 2 | Alabama | 79 | 43 | 62 | 220 days |
| 3 | Arkansas | 79 | 43 | 62 | 210 days |
| 4 | Louisiana | 79 | 43 | 62 | 260 days |
| 5 | Mississippi | 79 | 43 | 62 | 230 days |
| 6 | Tennessee | 79 | 43 | 62 | 200 days |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 78 | 43 | 60 | 210 days |
| 8 | South Carolina | 78 | 43 | 62 | 230 days |
| 9 | Georgia | 77 | 43 | 62 | 230 days |
| 10 | Missouri | 77 | 42 | 60 | 190 days |
| 11 | Texas | 77 | 43 | 41 | 250 days |
| 12 | Kentucky | 76 | 43 | 62 | 190 days |
| 13 | Arizona | 75 | 43 | 41 | 250 days |
| 14 | Maine | 75 | 42 | 72 | 140 days |
| 15 | North Carolina | 74 | 43 | 62 | 210 days |
| 16 | West Virginia | 74 | 42 | 62 | 170 days |
| 17 | Kansas | 73 | 42 | 60 | 180 days |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 73 | 42 | 72 | 140 days |
| 19 | Virginia | 72 | 43 | 62 | 200 days |
| 20 | Delaware | 71 | 43 | 72 | 195 days |
| 21 | New Mexico | 71 | 43 | 41 | 180 days |
| 22 | Maryland | 70 | 43 | 72 | 195 days |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | 70 | 42 | 72 | 170 days |
| 24 | Vermont | 70 | 38 | 72 | 130 days |
| 25 | Idaho | 69 | 42 | 44 | 145 days |
| 26 | Indiana | 69 | 42 | 60 | 170 days |
| 27 | Iowa | 69 | 42 | 60 | 155 days |
| 28 | Nebraska | 69 | 42 | 60 | 155 days |
| 29 | Oregon | 69 | 43 | 44 | 185 days |
| 30 | South Dakota | 68 | 38 | 60 | 135 days |
| 31 | California | 67 | 43 | 41 | 270 days |
| 32 | Michigan | 67 | 42 | 60 | 145 days |
| 33 | Nevada | 67 | 43 | 41 | 160 days |
| 34 | Ohio | 67 | 42 | 60 | 170 days |
| 35 | Alaska | 66 | 38 | 44 | 110 days |
| 36 | Illinois | 66 | 42 | 60 | 175 days |
| 37 | Montana | 66 | 38 | 45 | 120 days |
| 38 | New Jersey | 66 | 43 | 72 | 190 days |
| 39 | North Dakota | 66 | 38 | 60 | 125 days |
| 40 | Washington | 66 | 43 | 44 | 175 days |
| 41 | Wyoming | 66 | 38 | 45 | 115 days |
| 42 | Connecticut | 65 | 42 | 72 | 165 days |
| 43 | Massachusetts | 65 | 42 | 72 | 160 days |
| 44 | New York | 65 | 42 | 72 | 160 days |
| 45 | Colorado | 64 | 42 | 45 | 150 days |
| 46 | Rhode Island | 64 | 42 | 72 | 165 days |
| 47 | Utah | 64 | 42 | 41 | 155 days |
| 48 | Minnesota | 63 | 38 | 60 | 140 days |
| 49 | Wisconsin | 63 | 38 | 60 | 145 days |
| 50 | District of Columbia | 63 | 43 | 72 | 195 days |
| 51 | Hawaii | 62 | 16 | 41 | 365 days |
Year-round growing season. moderate regulations.
Long growing season. permissive regulations.
Long growing season. permissive regulations.
Year-round growing season. moderate regulations.
Long growing season. moderate regulations.
Long growing season. permissive regulations.
Long growing season. permissive regulations.
Long growing season. moderate regulations.
Long growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. permissive regulations.
Year-round growing season. permissive regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Year-round growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. permissive regulations.
Long growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. permissive regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. moderate regulations.
Long growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Moderate growing season. permissive regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. permissive regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. moderate regulations.
Year-round growing season. strict regulations.
Short growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Short growing season. permissive regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Short growing season. permissive regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Short growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. permissive regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Moderate growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. moderate regulations.
Short growing season. moderate regulations.
Moderate growing season. strict regulations.
Year-round growing season. strict regulations.
Rankings based on public data from USDA, FEMA, state regulatory databases, and our species databases. How we calculate these scores →
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More Rankings
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Ranked by inverse FEMA National Risk Index scores — lower hazard exposure means higher ranking.
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Ranked by frost-free days — longer seasons mean more food production capacity.
Most Self-Sufficient States
Composite ranking of food production, foraging, off-grid friendliness, and disaster resilience.
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