Illinois vs Indiana

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

5/10

Indiana

Rank #17

Overall Winner

Overall Score

67.4

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.81%

93.4

Cost of Living

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$8,800

210 days

Growing Season

200 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

47"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.15 hrs

90%

Broadband

85%

Indiana Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 67.4 vs 60.8, Indiana comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Indiana offers cheaper farmland at $8,800/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 200 days). Indiana has lower property taxes (0.81% 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	Illinois IL	Indiana IN
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	2.95%
	8.82%	7%
	2.07%	0.81%
	93.4	90
Land & Building
	$9,600	$8,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	5b-6b
	210	200
	48"	47"
	10	8
	3	3
	6	5
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	4.15
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	None
	3	9
	Strong	Strong
	No	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	390
	35%	30%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	189.4
	12%	27%
	90%	85%
Business
	#36	#10
	$150/yr	$95/yr
	4.5%	3.3%

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