California vs Illinois

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

California

Rank #40

Overall Winner

Overall Score

61.3

Category Wins

6/10

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.76%

Property Tax

2.07%

138

Cost of Living

93.4

$5,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$9,600

365 days

Growing Season

210 days

100"

Annual Rainfall

48"

7/10

Soil Quality

10/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

3/10

5.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.2 hrs

91%

Broadband

90%

California Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 61.3 vs 60.8, California comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: California offers cheaper farmland at $5,800/acre vs $9,600/acre. California has a longer growing season (365 vs 210 days). California has lower property taxes (0.76% 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	California CA	Illinois IL
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	13.3%	4.95%
	8.625%	8.82%
	0.76%	2.07%
	138	93.4
Land & Building
	$5,800	$9,600
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	8a-10b	5a-7a
	365	210
	100"	48"
	7	10
	8	3
	1	6
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Unrestricted
	5.5	4.2
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Low
	2	3
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Retail Sales)	No
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	447	425
	35%	35%
Demographics & Community
	253.61	225.7
	5%	12%
	91%	90%
Business
	#48	#36
	$70/yr	$150/yr
	3.7%	4.5%

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