Alabama vs Illinois

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Alabama

Rank #6

Overall Winner

Overall Score

71.0

Category Wins

7/10

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

2/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.41%

Property Tax

2.07%

Cost of Living

93.4

$1,850

Farm Land $/Acre

$9,600

260 days

Growing Season

210 days

65"

Annual Rainfall

48"

6/10

Soil Quality

10/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

9/10

Gun Friendly

3/10

4.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.2 hrs

82%

Broadband

90%

Alabama Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 71.0 vs 60.8, Alabama comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 7 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Alabama offers cheaper farmland at $1,850/acre vs $9,600/acre. Alabama has a longer growing season (260 vs 210 days). Alabama has lower property taxes (0.41% vs 2.07%).

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Alabama AL	Illinois IL
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	5.75%	4.95%
	9.01%	8.82%
	0.41%	2.07%
	90	93.4
Land & Building
	$1,850	$9,600
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	7a-8b	5a-7a
	260	210
	65"	48"
	6	10
	5	3
	8	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.5	4.2
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Low
	9	3
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	No
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	493	425
	45%	35%
Demographics & Community
	94.65	225.7
	41%	12%
	82%	90%
Business
	#38	#36
	$100/yr	$150/yr
	3.4%	4.5%

Not sure which state is right for you?

Use our free ranking tool to score all 50 states based on your personal priorities — from land prices and taxes to climate and community.

Rank States by Your Priorities