Colorado vs Illinois

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

Colorado

Rank #25

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.1

Category Wins

6/10

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.51%

Property Tax

2.07%

108

Cost of Living

93.4

$2,850

Farm Land $/Acre

$9,600

180 days

Growing Season

210 days

60"

Annual Rainfall

48"

6/10

Soil Quality

10/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

Gun Friendly

3/10

5.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.2 hrs

87%

Broadband

90%

Colorado Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.1 vs 60.8, Colorado 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: Colorado offers cheaper farmland at $2,850/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). Colorado has lower property taxes (0.51% 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	Colorado CO	Illinois IL
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.63%	4.95%
	7.65%	8.82%
	0.51%	2.07%
	108	93.4
Land & Building
	$2,850	$9,600
	No (Local Adoption)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	4a-7b	5a-7a
	180	210
	60"	48"
	6	10
	8	3
	4	6
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Unrestricted
	5.3	4.2
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Low
	7	3
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	No
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	407	425
	48%	35%
Demographics & Community
	48.51	225.7
	15%	12%
	87%	90%
Business
	#32	#36
	$50/yr	$150/yr
	2.9%	4.5%

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