Illinois vs Minnesota

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

5/10

Minnesota

Rank #29

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.8

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

1.08%

93.4

Cost of Living

98.8

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,300

210 days

Growing Season

160 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

35"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

9/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

5/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.2 hrs

90%

Broadband

88%

Minnesota Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.8 vs 60.8, Minnesota 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: Minnesota offers cheaper farmland at $6,300/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 160 days). Minnesota has lower property taxes (1.08% 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	Minnesota MN
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	9.85%
	8.82%	7.49%
	2.07%	1.08%
	93.4	98.8
Land & Building
	$9,600	$6,300
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	3a-5a
	210	160
	48"	35"
	10	8
	3	3
	6	5
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	4.2
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Medium
	3	5
	Strong	Strong
	No	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	280
	35%	22%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	71.7
	12%	27%
	90%	88%
Business
	#36	#44
	$150/yr	$155/yr
	4.5%	2.9%

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