Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Whether you feel overconnected or want to save the planet, moving off the grid can help you both unplug and live more sustainably.
But not all states are suited to a fully independent lifestyle, and some actively discourage off-grid housing.
To help you find your own remote slice of heaven, LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best States to Live Off the Grid.
We compared all 50 states across 21 key factors, from off-grid legality and average per-acre cost of farmland to climate and crime rate.
Following are the top states for living off the grid.
1. Texas
Overall Score: 71.85
Feasibility Rank: 9
Infrastructure Rank: 1
Cost Rank: 25
Climate Rank: 49
Safety Rank: 26
2. North Dakota
Overall Score: 65.85
Feasibility Rank: 4
Infrastructure Rank: 9
Cost Rank: 13
Climate Rank: 41
Safety Rank: 5
3. Wyoming
Overall Score: 65.46
Feasibility Rank: 2
Infrastructure Rank: 17
Cost Rank: 1
Climate Rank: 39
Safety Rank: 13
4. Montana
Overall Score: 65.34
Feasibility Rank: 3
Infrastructure Rank: 13
Cost Rank: 11
Climate Rank: 37
Safety Rank: 9
5. Iowa
Overall Score: 65.24
Feasibility Rank: 14
Infrastructure Rank: 3
Cost Rank: 37
Climate Rank: 32
Safety Rank: 2
6. Kentucky
Overall Score: 64.06
Feasibility Rank: 21
Infrastructure Rank: 23
Cost Rank: 19
Climate Rank: 6
Safety Rank: 8
7. Oklahoma (tie)
Overall Score: 63.68
Feasibility Rank: 13
Infrastructure Rank: 8
Cost Rank: 5
Climate Rank: 42
Safety Rank: 16
7. Minnesota (tie)
Overall Score: 63.68
Feasibility Rank: 11
Infrastructure Rank: 20
Cost Rank: 30
Climate Rank: 33
Safety Rank: 1
9. New Mexico
Overall Score: 62.93
Feasibility Rank: 4
Infrastructure Rank: 12
Cost Rank: 2
Climate Rank: 47
Safety Rank: 24
10. Missouri
Overall Score: 62.24
Feasibility Rank: 16
Infrastructure Rank: 21
Cost Rank: 17
Climate Rank: 30
Safety Rank: 12
Methodology
We ranked the 50 U.S. states from best (No. 1) to worst (No. 50) based on their overall scores (out of 100 possible points) on off-the-grid living, averaged across all the weighted metrics listed below.
- Suitability of Electric, Water, and Waste Laws for Off-Grid Living
- Population Density in Rural Areas
- Phone Coverage
- Road Quality (Percentage of Major Roads in Poor or Mediocre Condition)
- Change in Share of Electricity from Renewable Sources
- Projected 5-Year Growth in Solar Power Use (in Megawatts)
- Projected 10-Year Growth in Wind Power Use (in Megawatts)
- Average Per-Acre Value of Cropland
- Property Taxes
- Cost of Living Index
- Average Yearly Amount of Sunshine
- Average Yearly Precipitation
- Yearly Average Number of Very Cold Days
- Yearly Average Number of Very Hot Days
- Number of Air Quality Violations in Past Year
- Number of Water Quality Violations in Past Year
- Toxic Chemicals Release per Square Mile
- Natural Hazards Index
- Rural Health Clinics per 1,000 square miles
- Number of Critical-Access Hospitals
- Crime Rate per 1,000 Residents in Non-Metro Counties
Sources: AcreTrader, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Transportation Research Nonprofit (TRIP), Nebraska Department of Environment & Energy, Primal Survivor, Rural Health Information Hub, Solar Energy Industries Association, Tax Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WhistleOut, and World Population Review.
Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.
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