Illinois vs Kentucky

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

2/10

Kentucky

Rank #5

Overall Winner

Overall Score

71.3

Category Wins

7/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.83%

93.4

Cost of Living

86.3

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,800

210 days

Growing Season

210 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

50"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.25 hrs

90%

Broadband

82%

Kentucky Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 71.3 vs 60.8, Kentucky 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: Kentucky offers cheaper farmland at $4,800/acre vs $9,600/acre. Kentucky has lower property taxes (0.83% vs 2.07%). Kentucky is more affordable with a cost of living index of 86.3 vs 93.4.

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	Kentucky KY
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	4%
	8.82%	6%
	2.07%	0.83%
	93.4	86.3
Land & Building
	$9,600	$4,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	6a-7b
	210	210
	48"	50"
	10	8
	3	2
	6	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	4.25
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Low
	3	9
	Strong	Strong
	No	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	250
	35%	38%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	114.1
	12%	42%
	90%	82%
Business
	#36	#23
	$150/yr	$40/yr
	4.5%	4%

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