County Freedom Index

County Freedom Index

Find the Best Counties to Buy Land in the United States

Compare every U.S. county for land affordability, homesteading potential, tiny homes, off-grid living, taxes, public land access, climate, and more using our interactive county comparison tool.

Explore the mapStart with County Finder

National overview

Freedom Index Scores Across The United States

Use the filters to highlight states by Freedom Index, live county coverage, and lifestyle signals like off-grid living, tiny homes, RV living, homesteading, land affordability, solar, and broadband.

Map filters50 states highlighted for all states
Alabama: Freedom Index 69, live county coverageAlaska: Freedom Index 64, live county coverageArizona: Freedom Index 66, live county coverageArkansas: Freedom Index 67, live county coverageCalifornia: Freedom Index 58, live county coverageColorado: Freedom Index 59, live county coverageConnecticut: Freedom Index 24, live county coverageDelaware: Freedom Index 45, live county coverageFlorida: Freedom Index 57, live county coverageGeorgia: Freedom Index 59, live county coverageHawaii: Freedom Index 44, live county coverageIdaho: Freedom Index 68, live county coverageIllinois: Freedom Index 53, live county coverageIndiana: Freedom Index 56, live county coverageIowa: Freedom Index 54, live county coverageKansas: Freedom Index 65, live county coverageKentucky: Freedom Index 59, live county coverageLouisiana: Freedom Index 62, live county coverageMaine: Freedom Index 52, live county coverageMaryland: Freedom Index 50, live county coverageMassachusetts: Freedom Index 37, live county coverageMichigan: Freedom Index 54, live county coverageMinnesota: Freedom Index 57, live county coverageMississippi: Freedom Index 66, live county coverageMissouri: Freedom Index 63, live county coverageMontana: Freedom Index 72, live county coverageNebraska: Freedom Index 63, live county coverageNevada: Freedom Index 74, live county coverageNew Hampshire: Freedom Index 49, live county coverageNew Jersey: Freedom Index 36, live county coverageNew Mexico: Freedom Index 73, live county coverageNew York: Freedom Index 51, live county coverageNorth Carolina: Freedom Index 58, live county coverageNorth Dakota: Freedom Index 68, live county coverageOhio: Freedom Index 53, live county coverageOklahoma: Freedom Index 68, live county coverageOregon: Freedom Index 63, live county coveragePennsylvania: Freedom Index 52, live county coverageRhode Island: Freedom Index 31, live county coverageSouth Carolina: Freedom Index 62, live county coverageSouth Dakota: Freedom Index 64, live county coverageTennessee: Freedom Index 61, live county coverageTexas: Freedom Index 63, live county coverageUtah: Freedom Index 67, live county coverageVermont: Freedom Index 53, live county coverageVirginia: Freedom Index 56, live county coverageWashington: Freedom Index 60, live county coverageWest Virginia: Freedom Index 64, live county coverageWisconsin: Freedom Index 53, live county coverageWyoming: Freedom Index 73, live county coverage
80+75-7970-7465-6960-64Under 60Clickable coverage

Explore by state

A Compact Trailhead For State Research

Click a covered state on the map, or open the state selector when you want a direct path into a state dataset.

50live states
3143county profiles
Live State Datasets
50
NevadaLive coverage74New MexicoLive coverage73WyomingLive coverage73MontanaLive coverage72AlabamaLive coverage69IdahoLive coverage68North DakotaLive coverage68OklahomaLive coverage68ArkansasLive coverage67UtahLive coverage67ArizonaLive coverage66MississippiLive coverage66KansasLive coverage65AlaskaLive coverage64South DakotaLive coverage64West VirginiaLive coverage64MissouriLive coverage63NebraskaLive coverage63OregonLive coverage63TexasLive coverage63LouisianaLive coverage62South CarolinaLive coverage62TennesseeLive coverage61WashingtonLive coverage60ColoradoLive coverage59GeorgiaLive coverage59KentuckyLive coverage59CaliforniaLive coverage58North CarolinaLive coverage58FloridaLive coverage57MinnesotaLive coverage57IndianaLive coverage56VirginiaLive coverage56IowaLive coverage54MichiganLive coverage54IllinoisLive coverage53OhioLive coverage53VermontLive coverage53WisconsinLive coverage53MaineLive coverage52PennsylvaniaLive coverage52New YorkLive coverage51MarylandLive coverage50New HampshireLive coverage49DelawareLive coverage45HawaiiLive coverage44MassachusettsLive coverage37New JerseyLive coverage36Rhode IslandLive coverage31ConnecticutLive coverage24
Preliminary states stay visible for national context, but county pages only exist for live coverage states.

Verification boundary

Use This As A County-Level Research Shortcut

County Freedom Index helps you build a county shortlist. It does not confirm that a specific parcel can legally support a tiny home, RV, off-grid dwelling, container home, ADU, or homestead.

Read disclaimer

Best counties by goal

Explore Top County Shortlists

Use verified county profiles to compare strong national options for tiny homes, RV living, off-grid living, homesteading, cheap land, and other alternative living goals. Sourced-discovery counties still appear in the Finder and state pages, but these homepage shortlists stay conservative for launch.

How to read the labelsStrong signal, Conditional, and Review required are county-level discovery cues. They help prioritize research, but they do not confirm parcel zoning, permits, utilities, water, septic, covenants, or legal occupancy.

Tiny homes

Best Counties For Tiny Homes

Strong tiny-home signals, housing flexibility, and solid overall fit.
Filter counties
#1Verified

Saguache County

Colorado

100Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
CO
Tiny home signal 5/5 with 87 overall Freedom Score.
#2Verified

Catron County

New Mexico

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 88 overall Freedom Score.
#3Verified

Hidalgo County

New Mexico

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 88 overall Freedom Score.
#4Verified

Rio Arriba County

New Mexico

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 88 overall Freedom Score.
#5Verified

Torrance County

New Mexico

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 88 overall Freedom Score.
#6Verified

Carbon County

Wyoming

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
WY
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 87 overall Freedom Score.
#7Verified

Niobrara County

Wyoming

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
WY
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 87 overall Freedom Score.
#8Verified

Cibola County

New Mexico

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
NM
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 87 overall Freedom Score.
#9Verified

Luna County

New Mexico

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
NM
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 87 overall Freedom Score.
#10Verified

Idaho County

Idaho

80Tiny Home Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
ID
Tiny home signal 4/5 with 87 overall Freedom Score.

RV living

Best Counties For RV Living

Useful starting points for RV, camper, and temporary occupancy research.
Filter counties
#1Verified

Catron County

New Mexico

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
RV signal 4/5 with 5/5 rural land availability.
#2Verified

Hidalgo County

New Mexico

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
RV signal 4/5 with 5/5 rural land availability.
#3Verified

Rio Arriba County

New Mexico

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
RV signal 4/5 with 4/5 rural land availability.
#4Verified

Torrance County

New Mexico

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
RV signal 4/5 with 4/5 rural land availability.
#5Verified

Carbon County

Wyoming

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
WY
RV signal 4/5 with 5/5 rural land availability.
#6Verified

Niobrara County

Wyoming

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
WY
RV signal 4/5 with 5/5 rural land availability.
#7Verified

Cibola County

New Mexico

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
NM
RV signal 4/5 with 4/5 rural land availability.
#8Verified

Luna County

New Mexico

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
NM
RV signal 4/5 with 5/5 rural land availability.
#9Verified

Idaho County

Idaho

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
ID
RV signal 4/5 with 5/5 rural land availability.
#10Verified

Sierra County

New Mexico

80RV Living Score
Strong signal
Freedom
86
State
NM
RV signal 4/5 with 4/5 rural land availability.

Off-grid

Best Counties For Off-Grid Living

County shortlists balancing off-grid signals, solar, land, and rural density.
Filter counties
#1Verified

Catron County

New Mexico

98Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#2Verified

Hidalgo County

New Mexico

98Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#3Verified

Socorro County

New Mexico

98Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
86
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#4Verified

Harding County

New Mexico

98Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
80
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#5Verified

Guadalupe County

New Mexico

98Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
79
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#6Verified

Mora County

New Mexico

98Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
78
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#7Verified

Quay County

New Mexico

98Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
78
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#8Verified

Luna County

New Mexico

97Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#9Verified

Grant County

New Mexico

97Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
81
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.
#10Verified

Roosevelt County

New Mexico

97Off-Grid Index
Strong signal
Freedom
79
State
NM
Solar 10/10, land availability 5/5.

Homesteading

Best Counties For Homesteading

Counties with stronger land, density, season, and rural-living signals.
Full ranking
#1Verified

Idaho County

Idaho

98Homestead Index
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
ID
189 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#2Verified

Mora County

New Mexico

95Homestead Index
Conditional
Freedom
78
State
NM
186 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#3Verified

Baca County

Colorado

95Homestead Index
Review required
Freedom
72
State
CO
222 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#4Verified

Kit Carson County

Colorado

95Homestead Index
Review required
Freedom
71
State
CO
203 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#5Verified

Prowers County

Colorado

95Homestead Index
Review required
Freedom
69
State
CO
210 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#6Verified

Catron County

New Mexico

94Homestead Index
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
188 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#7Verified

Grant County

New Mexico

94Homestead Index
Conditional
Freedom
81
State
NM
251 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#8Verified

Harding County

New Mexico

94Homestead Index
Conditional
Freedom
80
State
NM
233 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#9Verified

Guadalupe County

New Mexico

94Homestead Index
Conditional
Freedom
79
State
NM
237 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.
#10Verified

Roosevelt County

New Mexico

94Homestead Index
Conditional
Freedom
79
State
NM
253 day estimated growing season with 5/5 land availability.

Cheap land

Cheapest Counties For Rural Land

Affordability-first counties to research before checking parcels and access.
Full ranking
#1Verified

Hidalgo County

New Mexico

100Affordability
Strong signal
Freedom
88
State
NM
$2,260 estimated median price per acre.
#2Verified

Carbon County

Wyoming

100Affordability
Strong signal
Freedom
87
State
WY
$799 estimated median price per acre.
#3Verified

Grant County

New Mexico

100Affordability
Conditional
Freedom
81
State
NM
$1,943 estimated median price per acre.
#4Verified

Harding County

New Mexico

100Affordability
Conditional
Freedom
80
State
NM
$1,000 estimated median price per acre.
#5Verified

Sublette County

Wyoming

100Affordability
Conditional
Freedom
79
State
WY
$1,846 estimated median price per acre.
#6Verified

Guadalupe County

New Mexico

100Affordability
Conditional
Freedom
79
State
NM
$780 estimated median price per acre.
#7Verified

Roosevelt County

New Mexico

100Affordability
Conditional
Freedom
79
State
NM
$1,513 estimated median price per acre.
#8Verified

Mora County

New Mexico

100Affordability
Conditional
Freedom
78
State
NM
$2,343 estimated median price per acre.
#9Verified

Quay County

New Mexico

100Affordability
Conditional
Freedom
78
State
NM
$1,808 estimated median price per acre.
#10Verified

Baca County

Colorado

100Affordability
Review required
Freedom
72
State
CO
$2,242 estimated median price per acre.

Choose a path

What Are You Researching?

Start with the path closest to your goal, then use the map, rankings, and county profiles to narrow the counties worth deeper parcel review.

Small dwellings

Tiny Homes

Compare live state datasets for stronger tiny-home discovery signals, then confirm dwelling type, foundation, utilities, and code path.

Find tiny-home countiesTiny home guides
Temporary occupancy

RV Living

Research camping, RV duration limits, construction occupancy, sanitation, water, and permit paths across covered states.

Find RV-friendly countiesRV guides
Remote systems

Off-Grid Living

Compare counties for off-grid fit using rule signals, land, climate, solar, broadband, public land, and access context.

Find off-grid countiesOff-grid guides

How to use the site

Turn A Big Search Into A County Shortlist

County Freedom Index works best as a sequence: scan the national map, choose a lifestyle ranking, refine the shortlist, then verify county and parcel details before acting.

01

Scan State Fit

Use the U.S. map to compare state averages and jump into live state county maps.

Explore the map
02

Pick A Lifestyle Goal

Start with national rankings for tiny homes, RV living, off-grid, homesteading, or cheap land.

Browse rankings
03

Refine The Shortlist

Filter by state, score, broadband, solar, public land, density, and verification status.

Open County Finder
04

Verify Before Buying

Read source trails and county notes, then confirm parcel zoning, utilities, water, septic, roads, and covenants.

View sources

Research workflow

Build, Save, And Verify A County Shortlist

The site now gives you practical ways to carry research forward: filter counties, export tables, save county briefs, and keep parcel-level due diligence separate from broad county discovery.

FilterUse County Finder

Search all 3,143 counties by lifestyle scores, land, solar, broadband, density, and source confidence.

ExportDownload Ranking Tables

Sort and filter national or state ranking tables, then export the matching counties for spreadsheet review.

SaveCopy County Briefs

Open a county profile and save a concise research brief with scores, fit notes, and verification priorities.

Methodology

How To Use Freedom Score

View full methodology
01

Start With County Fit

National state scores are averages of live county Freedom Scores, so they work best as a starting signal before you compare individual county profiles.

02

Compare The Drivers

County scores blend tiny home, RV, off-grid, land affordability, tax, solar, and broadband signals; profile notes explain the tradeoffs behind the number.

03

Verify Before Buying

Use scores for discovery only. Final decisions require parcel-level review with current local rules, zoning, sanitation, water, road access, and qualified professionals.

Research hub

Need Context Before You Compare Counties?

Browse guides for RV living, tiny homes, off-grid systems, homesteading, land affordability, planning review, water, septic, access, covenants, and red flags.

View guidesRead methodology

Leaderboard

Highest Freedom Scores

Top county-level discovery scores from the verified profile set across all 3143 live county profiles. 164 profiles are verified and 2,979 sourced-discovery profiles are intentionally excluded from this default leaderboard until deeper county-rule review is complete.

#1Verified

Catron County, NM

88

Catron County, New Mexico (NM), is worth shortlisting for very low density off grid research and large rural land searches. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.

#2Verified

Hidalgo County, NM

88

Hidalgo County, New Mexico (NM), is worth shortlisting for southwest desert off grid research and very low density land screening. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.

#3Verified

Rio Arriba County, NM

88

Rio Arriba County, New Mexico (NM), is worth shortlisting for northern New Mexico off grid research and rural land buyers. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.

#4Verified

Torrance County, NM

88

Torrance County, New Mexico (NM), is worth shortlisting for central New Mexico off grid research and lower density land searches. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.

#5Verified

Saguache County, CO

87

Saguache County, Colorado (CO), is worth shortlisting for Tiny home research and Off-grid living research. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.

Review rv living fit before relying on the overall score.#6Verified

Carbon County, WY

87

Carbon County, Wyoming (WY), is worth shortlisting for large rural land searches and off-grid research. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.

#7Verified

Niobrara County, WY

87

Niobrara County, Wyoming (WY), is worth shortlisting for very rural low-density searches and buyers prioritizing low population density. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.

#8Verified

Cibola County, NM

87

Cibola County, New Mexico (NM), is worth shortlisting for northwest New Mexico rural land research and groundwater due diligence. Use this county-level profile to compare lifestyle fit, land signals, utilities, climate, and source status before parcel-level due diligence.