Illinois vs Ohio

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

5/10

Ohio

Rank #30

Overall Winner

Overall Score

64.6

Category Wins

3/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

1.56%

93.4

Cost of Living

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$5,800

210 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

48"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4 hrs

90%

Broadband

84%

Ohio Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 64.6 vs 60.8, Ohio 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: Ohio offers cheaper farmland at $5,800/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). Ohio has lower property taxes (1.56% 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	Ohio OH
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	2.75%
	8.82%	7.21%
	2.07%	1.56%
	93.4	95
Land & Building
	$9,600	$5,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	5a-6b
	210	180
	48"	48"
	10	8
	3	3
	6	5
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Moderate
	3	8
	Strong	Strong
	No	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	383
	35%	40%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	287
	12%	24%
	90%	84%
Business
	#36	#26
	$150/yr	$99/yr
	4.5%	4%

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