Illinois vs North Carolina

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

3/10

North Carolina

Rank #13

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.2

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.84%

93.4

Cost of Living

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,400

210 days

Growing Season

230 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

80"

10/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.4 hrs

90%

Broadband

85%

North Carolina Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.2 vs 60.8, North Carolina comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: North Carolina offers cheaper farmland at $4,400/acre vs $9,600/acre. North Carolina has a longer growing season (230 vs 210 days). North Carolina has lower property taxes (0.84% 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	North Carolina NC
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	4.25%
	8.82%	7.5%
	2.07%	0.84%
	93.4	99
Land & Building
	$9,600	$4,400
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; growing acceptance
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	7a-8b
	210	230
	48"	80"
	10	7
	3	4
	6	5
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.4
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	3	8
	Strong	Very strong
	No	Illegal for human consumption (herdshare/pet milk only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	393
	35%	44%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	217
	12%	23%
	90%	85%
Business
	#36	#15
	$150/yr	$125/yr
	4.5%	3.5%

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