Delaware vs Illinois

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

Delaware

Rank #39

Overall Winner

Overall Score

61.7

Category Wins

3/10

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.57%

Property Tax

2.07%

106

Cost of Living

93.4

$3,400

Farm Land $/Acre

$9,600

180 days

Growing Season

210 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

48"

6/10

Soil Quality

10/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

5/10

Gun Friendly

3/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.2 hrs

88%

Broadband

90%

Delaware Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 61.7 vs 60.8, Delaware comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 4 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Delaware offers cheaper farmland at $3,400/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). Delaware has lower property taxes (0.57% 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	Delaware DE	Illinois IL
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	6.6%	4.95%
	0%	8.82%
	0.57%	2.07%
	106	93.4
Land & Building
	$3,400	$9,600
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	7a-7b	5a-7a
	180	210
	48"	48"
	6	10
	4	3
	3	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	4.2
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Low
	5	3
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	No
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	506	425
	40%	35%
Demographics & Community
	501.2	225.7
	25%	12%
	88%	90%
Business
	#18	#36
	$90/yr	$150/yr
	3.4%	4.5%

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