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Idaho State News

How Living Off the Grid in Idaho Compares to Other States

Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square

In the wake of the pandemic, with growing economic uncertainty and climate change stressing public infrastructure, more Americans are seeking ways to live off the grid. This does not necessarily mean forgoing all modern conveniences. Rather, living off the grid simply often means just that – being disconnected from local utility grids and having a higher degree of self-sufficiency.

A recent study released by LawnStarter, a lawn care company that frequently conducts research into city and state amenities, created a weighted index of 23 key measures to identify the best states to live off the grid. These measures fall into one of five categories: feasibility, infrastructure, affordability, climate, and safety.

According to LawnStarter, Idaho ranks as the 17th best state for those seeking to live off the grid.

Idaho scores highest in the feasibility category, which includes measures like population density in rural areas and how suitable electric, water, and waste laws are for off-the-grid living. The state’s lowest ranking category is climate, which takes into account measures such as the average yearly amount of sunshine, the average yearly amount of rain, and days of extreme temperatures.

All data in this story is from LawnStarter. A full description of the methodology is available here.

RankStateOverall off-the-grid scoreHighest ranking categoryLowest ranking category
1Iowa67.1SafetyAffordability
2Texas65.6InfrastructureClimate
3Kentucky63.4SafetyInfrastructure
4Minnesota61.3SafetyClimate
5Oklahoma61.1AffordabilityClimate
6Nebraska61.0SafetyClimate
7Kansas60.6SafetyFeasibility
8North Dakota59.5FeasibilityClimate
9Illinois58.9SafetyAffordability
10Montana58.5AffordabilityClimate
11Missouri58.3SafetyInfrastructure
12Wyoming57.8AffordabilityClimate
13South Dakota57.7InfrastructureClimate
14Wisconsin57.2SafetyClimate
15Vermont56.9InfrastructureAffordability
16Arkansas56.8ClimateInfrastructure
17Idaho56.6FeasibilityClimate
18Tennessee55.5AffordabilityFeasibility
19Oregon55.2FeasibilityClimate
20Maine54.3InfrastructureAffordability
21West Virginia54.1AffordabilityInfrastructure
22Indiana52.9InfrastructureFeasibility
23Georgia52.4ClimateInfrastructure
24Ohio52.3SafetyClimate
25Louisiana52.2ClimateInfrastructure
26Mississippi52.2SafetyInfrastructure
27Washington51.1InfrastructureClimate
28New Hampshire51.0SafetyAffordability
29Alabama51.0AffordabilityFeasibility
30Virginia50.8ClimateSafety
31South Carolina50.4ClimateSafety
32New Mexico50.0AffordabilitySafety
33Hawaii49.6ClimateAffordability
34California49.1InfrastructureAffordability
35Colorado48.1AffordabilityFeasibility
36Florida47.9ClimateSafety
37Michigan47.9SafetyClimate
38North Carolina46.8ClimateFeasibility
39Delaware46.0ClimateSafety
40Arizona46.0ClimateAffordability
41New York45.5InfrastructureFeasibility
42Utah40.6AffordabilitySafety
43Alaska40.1FeasibilityInfrastructure
44Pennsylvania40.0ClimateFeasibility
45Nevada39.4AffordabilitySafety
46Massachusetts37.6ClimateFeasibility
47Maryland36.6ClimateFeasibility
48Connecticut34.5ClimateFeasibility
49Rhode Island33.5ClimateFeasibility
50New Jersey28.2ClimateAffordability