Illinois vs Michigan

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

5/10

Michigan

Rank #35

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.4

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

1.38%

93.4

Cost of Living

91.5

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,700

210 days

Growing Season

190 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

38"

10/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

90%

Broadband

85%

Michigan Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.4 vs 60.8, Michigan 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: Michigan offers cheaper farmland at $6,700/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 190 days). Michigan has lower property taxes (1.38% 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	Michigan MI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	4.25%
	8.82%	6%
	2.07%	1.38%
	93.4	91.5
Land & Building
	$9,600	$6,700
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	4a-6b
	210	190
	48"	38"
	10	6
	3	2
	6	3
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	None
	3	6
	Strong	Strong
	No	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	478
	35%	30%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	177.1
	12%	25%
	90%	85%
Business
	#36	#12
	$150/yr	$50/yr
	4.5%	4.2%

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