Profiles with the main source trail, major data-layer links, and citations present.
Methodology
Freedom Score Methodology
A county-level discovery score for comparing live-state counties before deeper parcel, zoning, water, septic, and permit research.
Verified / sourced215/3143
Average score60
Score range0-100
Methodology version1
National source readiness
Where The Dataset Is Strongest And Where It Still Needs Review
This snapshot summarizes the source trail behind the national county dataset. Missing source lanes are treated as research gaps, not negative findings about a county or permission for a parcel-level use.
County-level profiles with stronger official source support for discovery use.
Useful first-pass profiles that still need stronger source review before verified language.
Missing support lanes across planning, zoning, land, infrastructure, and profile citations.
Zoning, land-use, ordinance, subdivision, or development-code links still missing.
Public-land acreage or access source support still missing.
County-level broadband or remote-work infrastructure source support still missing.
Solar-potential source support still missing.
Trust boundary
Use The Site To Shortlist Counties, Not To Clear Parcels
County Freedom Index is built for county-level discovery. It helps rural land buyers compare places, understand research paths, and avoid obvious mismatches before they spend time and money on parcel-level due diligence.
Stronger county-level source support
Official or high-quality public sources have been reviewed for the county profile. This raises profile confidence, but it still does not approve a specific parcel or project.
Useful for first-pass shortlisting
The county has useful public source trails and discovery signals. Treat it as a place worth researching, not a confirmed green light for tiny homes, RV living, or off-grid use.
Screening signal only
The value is early, model-derived, or source-limited. Use it to spot research gaps and compare broad patterns, then confirm every important detail locally.
Always verify locally before buying or building
A strong score means a county may deserve a closer look. It does not mean a specific property can support your intended use.
- Parcel zoning and allowed use
- Municipal overlays and special districts
- Subdivision covenants, HOA, or POA rules
- Legal access, roads, addressing, and fire access
- Well, hauled water, cistern, septic, and environmental health review
- Current permit path, occupancy rules, and enforcement posture
How to use the data
Score, Confidence, And Approval Are Different Things
County Freedom Index is strongest when users treat it as a research shortcut. The score helps decide where to look, confidence labels explain source support, and parcel approval still comes from current local review.
Use the score to shortlist
Freedom Score and lifestyle indexes help compare counties by broad fit for tiny homes, RV living, off-grid land, homesteading, cheap land, solar, broadband, and rural-use signals.
Use confidence to judge source support
Verified, sourced-discovery, draft, and derived labels describe how much source support sits behind the profile or data layer. They do not mean the county has approved your plan.
Use local due diligence before acting
Before buying, building, parking an RV, drilling a well, installing septic, or moving a structure, confirm the exact parcel with current local offices, title records, covenants, utilities, access, and qualified professionals.
Formula
What Goes Into The Score
25%
Tiny Home Score
County-level signal for tiny-home research fit.
20%
RV Living Score
Signal for RV living and temporary occupancy research.
20%
Off-Grid Score
Signal for rural, solar, water, septic, and access research.
15%
Land Affordability
Derived from county-level price-per-acre snapshots only when 8+ active listing observations support the sample.
10%
Property Taxes
Lower effective property tax rates score higher.
5%
Solar Potential
County-centroid solar resource proxy.
5%
Broadband Availability
Household broadband subscription proxy.
Lifestyle indexes
Goal-Specific Decision Signals
Freedom Score is the broad ranking metric. Lifestyle indexes add more focused 0-100 scores for the way someone actually wants to use land. They are still county-level discovery signals, not legal conclusions.
Housing Freedom Index
Blends tiny home, RV living, container home, ADU, and land affordability signals for alternative housing shortlists.
Off-Grid Freedom Index
Blends off-grid score, solar, rural land availability, low density, and utility-friction signals.
Homestead Freedom Index
Blends land affordability, rural availability, growing season, density, and water-climate signals.
Land Affordability Index
Uses supported price-per-acre snapshots and availability signals. Counties below the 8-listing threshold are labeled Not yet scored for land affordability.
Connectivity Index
Blends broadband score, wired broadband proxy, cellular-only reliance, and density context for remote-work research.
Source confidence
How To Read Confidence Labels
Scores and confidence answer different questions. A score estimates county fit for a lifestyle goal. Confidence explains how much source review sits behind the profile or data layer. Use both before shortlisting a county.
Strongest profile confidence
The county profile has stronger official-source coverage and has passed the current public confidence checks. This still does not clear a parcel or replace current local-rule review.
Useful screening confidence
The profile uses official and public source layers for discovery, but deeper current local-rule source support is required before it should be treated as verified.
Data-layer confidence
The field is calculated from public data such as land-market snapshots, Census broadband, solar, tax, climate, or public-land layers rather than a county-rule review.
Use as a research prompt only
The row, claim, or field does not have enough support for a public conclusion. Treat it as a prompt for deeper research, not an answer.
Use-case status
How Lifestyle Status Labels Work
County profiles translate public notes and county-level scores into lightweight use-case labels for tiny homes, RV living, and off-grid living. These labels are screening aids only; they do not replace parcel-specific permit, water, septic, access, or covenant review.
County-level research cue
The county-level score and public profile notes suggest the use case is a stronger research candidate, but parcel-level approval is still not confirmed.
County-level research cue
The county-level signal is mixed. Treat the county as possible but unresolved until the parcel, zoning district, sanitation path, and local jurisdiction are checked.
County-level research cue
The score is weak or profile notes contain restrictive language. This does not automatically prove a legal prohibition, but it should stop users from relying on the headline score.
Evidence model
Derived Signals vs Source-Backed Signals
The site now separates the status label users see from the evidence tier behind it. This lets County Freedom Index improve over time without presenting inferred signals as if they were confirmed county-rule findings.
Current default
Most lifestyle labels are derived from county-level scores, public profile notes, and red-flag language. They are useful for screening, but they are not a direct code interpretation.
Future stronger tier
A source-backed label will require a specific source URL, source type, reviewed date, public summary, and parcel caveat before it can override the derived fallback.
No conclusion
If a county lacks enough signal for a lifestyle use case, the system should avoid filling the gap with certainty. Unknown means research should begin with the county and parcel.
National map
How State Scores Are Calculated
The homepage U.S. map uses a state-level Freedom Index score. Every state now has live county profiles, and the map score is the rounded average of the county Freedom Scores currently available in the dataset. Use it as a national starting signal before comparing individual counties.
State scores are best used as a starting map, not a final answer. A state with many sourced-discovery counties can look stronger or weaker than its eventual verified profile set. For decisions, drill into county profiles, lifestyle indexes, verification status, source snapshots, and parcel-level local rules.
Source status
Live Does Not Always Mean Verified
A live state may include verified profiles, sourced-discovery profiles, or a mix of both. Verified means stronger official county-source coverage has been reviewed. Sourced discovery means the profile has useful official and public source layers, but requires deeper current local-rule source support before being strengthened.
Land market method
How To Read Price-Per-Acre Snapshots
Land affordability uses county-level active listing snapshots and average price-per-acre signals from public marketplace summaries. The field is stored in the dataset as a land-price estimate for compatibility with the scoring model, but it should not be read as a parcel appraisal, a guaranteed sale price, or a true statistical median. Counties with zero active listings keep their source snapshot and show no active inventory until new listings appear.
A county only receives a public Land Affordability Index when the dataset has both a price-per-acre snapshot and at least 8 active listing observations. Smaller samples can still appear as source context, but they are labeled Not yet scored in rankings, County Finder, and county profiles.
Interpretation
What The Score Means
Excellent85-100
Strong72-84
Promising60-71
Mixed45-59
Restrictive0-44
Guardrails
What It Does Not Mean
- It does not confirm that a parcel allows full-time RV living.
- It does not confirm that a tiny home, container home, or ADU can be permitted.
- It does not replace current local planning, zoning, building, water, septic, or road-access review.
- It does not account for every subdivision covenant, HOA rule, wildfire constraint, or municipal overlay.
Current index averages
How The Live Dataset Looks Today
Housing Freedom58
Off-Grid Freedom66
Homestead Freedom73
Land Affordability41
Connectivity74
Decision support
Why These Indexes Matter
The goal is to help users start with a lifestyle goal, then narrow thousands of counties into a practical research shortlist. A county can be strong for off-grid solar land but weak for remote work, or strong for broadband but weak for RV living. Separate indexes make those tradeoffs easier to see.
Verification status
Score Strength And Source Confidence Are Separate
Freedom Score ranks county-level discovery signals. Verification status tracks how strongly the profile is supported by official source layers. Verified profiles and sourced-discovery profiles can both appear in live states, but a verified county profile still requires parcel-level planning, zoning, building, water, septic, access, and covenant review.
Publication guardrail
Scores Do Not Override The Evidence Gate
A strong score can make a county worth researching, but public verification language stays paused until supporting evidence exists and the downstream checks pass.
Gate statusblocked before real reviewer entry
Red gates5
Unpublished fields5
Pending reruns4
Label updates ready0
Current leaders
Top Freedom Score Counties
This example leaderboard uses verified county profiles so the methodology page does not overstate sourced-discovery records.
#1Verified ✓
Hidalgo County, NM
88Land affordability 100/100, tax score 88/100.
#2Verified ✓Rio Arriba County, NM
88Land affordability 92/100, tax score 100/100.
#3Verified ✓Torrance County, NM
88Land affordability 98/100, tax score 91/100.
#4Verified ✓Saguache County, CO
87Land affordability 82/100, tax score 92/100.
#5Verified ✓Carbon County, WY
87Land affordability 100/100, tax score 81/100.
#6Verified ✓Niobrara County, WY
87Land affordability Not yet scored, tax score 100/100.