How Living Off the Grid in Rhode Island Compares to Other States
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, Rhode Island ranks as the second worst state for those seeking to live off the grid.
Rhode Island scores highest in the climate category, which includes measures like the average yearly amount of sunshine, the average yearly amount of rain, and days of extreme temperatures. The state’s lowest ranking category is feasibility, which takes into account measures such as population density in rural areas and how suitable electric, water, and waste laws are for off-the-grid living.
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 category1Iowa67.1SafetyAffordability2Texas65.6InfrastructureClimate3Kentucky63.4SafetyInfrastructure4Minnesota61.3SafetyClimate5Oklahoma61.1AffordabilityClimate6Nebraska61.0SafetyClimate7Kansas60.6SafetyFeasibility8North Dakota59.5FeasibilityClimate9Illinois58.9SafetyAffordability10Montana58.5AffordabilityClimate11Missouri58.3SafetyInfrastructure12Wyoming57.8AffordabilityClimate13South Dakota57.7InfrastructureClimate14Wisconsin57.2SafetyClimate15Vermont56.9InfrastructureAffordability16Arkansas56.8ClimateInfrastructure17Idaho56.6FeasibilityClimate18Tennessee55.5AffordabilityFeasibility19Oregon55.2FeasibilityClimate20Maine54.3InfrastructureAffordability21West Virginia54.1AffordabilityInfrastructure22Indiana52.9InfrastructureFeasibility23Georgia52.4ClimateInfrastructure24Ohio52.3SafetyClimate25Louisiana52.2ClimateInfrastructure26Mississippi52.2SafetyInfrastructure27Washington51.1InfrastructureClimate28New Hampshire51.0SafetyAffordability29Alabama51.0AffordabilityFeasibility30Virginia50.8ClimateSafety31South Carolina50.4ClimateSafety32New Mexico50.0AffordabilitySafety33Hawaii49.6ClimateAffordability34California49.1InfrastructureAffordability35Colorado48.1AffordabilityFeasibility36Florida47.9ClimateSafety37Michigan47.9SafetyClimate38North Carolina46.8ClimateFeasibility39Delaware46.0ClimateSafety40Arizona46.0ClimateAffordability41New York45.5InfrastructureFeasibility42Utah40.6AffordabilitySafety43Alaska40.1FeasibilityInfrastructure44Pennsylvania40.0ClimateFeasibility45Nevada39.4AffordabilitySafety46Massachusetts37.6ClimateFeasibility47Maryland36.6ClimateFeasibility48Connecticut34.5ClimateFeasibility49Rhode Island33.5ClimateFeasibility50New Jersey28.2ClimateAffordability
