Illinois vs Mississippi
Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more
IL
Overall Score
Category Wins
3/10
Overall Score
Category Wins
7/10
Quick Comparison
Winner highlighted per category
Mississippi Edges Out Illinois Overall
With an overall homesteading score of 66.2 vs 60.8, Mississippi 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: Mississippi offers cheaper farmland at $2,400/acre vs $9,600/acre. Mississippi has a longer growing season (220 vs 210 days). Mississippi has lower property taxes (0.79% 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
| Data Point | Illinois IL | Mississippi MS |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & Cost | ||
| Yes | Yes | |
| 4.95% | 4% | |
| 8.82% | 7.07% | |
| 2.07% | 0.79% | |
| 93.4 | 88 | |
| Land & Building | ||
| $9,600 | $2,400 | |
| Yes (Statewide) | Partial | |
| Varies | Permitted in some areas with local approval; not uniformly legal statewide | |
| Climate & Growing | ||
| 5a-7a | 8a-8b | |
| 210 | 220 | |
| 48" | 56" | |
| 10 | 7 | |
| 3 | 4 | |
| 6 | 6 | |
| Water & Energy | ||
| Unrestricted | Permitted | |
| 4.2 | 4.5 | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Laws & Freedom | ||
| Low | Moderate | |
| 3 | 8 | |
| Strong | Strong | |
| No | Incidental on-farm sales only (goat milk) | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Safety & Healthcare | ||
| 425 | 481 | |
| 35% | 48% | |
| Demographics & Community | ||
| 225.7 | 63 | |
| 12% | 44% | |
| 90% | 72% | |
| Business | ||
| #36 | #38 | |
| $150/yr | $50/yr | |
| 4.5% | 3.8% | |
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