The verdict: North Carolina is the No. 8 best state for tiny house living in an urban setting and No. 17 overall.
How does North Carolina stack up in some key metrics (1st = Best)?
Average Yard Acreage – 8th
Tiny House Legality Score – 1st
Off-Grid Lifestyle Index – 38th
2024’s Best States for Tiny House Living
Overall Rank (1 = Best)
State
Overall Score
Legality Rank
Urban Lifestyle Rank
Remote Lifestyle Rank
1
Vermont
89.07
1
2
15
2
Kentucky
85.34
1
14
3
3
Arkansas
84.60
1
5
16
4
Maine
83.80
1
4
20
5
Minnesota
78.32
1
21
4
6
Montana
76.39
1
18
10
7
Alabama
74.45
1
6
28
8
Georgia
73.40
1
12
23
9
Texas
72.91
1
39
2
10
Kansas
70.35
1
37
7
11
Missouri
69.97
1
27
11
12
Idaho
68.45
1
23
17
13
Nebraska
67.68
1
45
6
14
Illinois
67.29
1
41
9
15
South Carolina
67.23
1
13
31
16
Wyoming
67.18
1
36
12
17
North Carolina
65.83
1
8
38
18
Indiana
65.66
1
22
22
19
Ohio
63.26
1
25
24
20
Virginia
63.16
1
16
30
21
Oregon
59.99
1
42
19
22
New Hampshire
59.41
3
1
28
23
Mississippi
58.23
3
3
26
24
Connecticut
57.96
1
10
48
25
Washington
57.49
1
33
27
26
South Dakota
56.69
2
31
13
27
Oklahoma
55.62
3
20
5
28
Tennessee
55.30
3
11
18
29
New Mexico
55.30
1
29
32
30
Michigan
54.50
1
24
37
31
Massachusetts
51.31
1
19
46
32
Delaware
49.04
1
34
39
33
Pennsylvania
48.18
1
26
44
34
Florida
48.05
1
44
36
35
Colorado
47.57
1
46
35
36
Hawaii
47.56
1
48
33
37
Utah
45.67
1
40
42
38
California
44.88
1
49
34
39
Arizona
43.91
1
47
40
40
Rhode Island
43.52
1
30
49
41
Maryland
42.94
1
38
47
42
Nevada
36.74
1
50
45
43
West Virginia
43.31
4
9
21
44
Iowa
43.16
4
28
1
45
Wisconsin
40.60
4
17
14
46
North Dakota
37.16
4
32
8
47
Louisiana
35.49
4
15
25
48
Alaska
29.31
4
7
43
49
New York
14.31
4
35
41
50
New Jersey
5.27
4
43
50
To come up with our ranking, we compared the 50 states on the legality of constructing a tiny home. We also looked at the suitability of building in an urban setting based on average yard acreages and in a remote environment based on off-grid lifestyle-friendliness, a separate LawnStarter ranking that consists of 23 key factors.
Looking to downsize? Some states are more ideal for a tiny house than others.