Illinois vs Oregon

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

3/10

Oregon

Rank #18

Overall Winner

Overall Score

67.3

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.98%

93.4

Cost of Living

108

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,200

210 days

Growing Season

210 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

70"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.4 hrs

90%

Broadband

88%

Oregon Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 67.3 vs 60.8, Oregon 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: Oregon offers cheaper farmland at $4,200/acre vs $9,600/acre. Oregon has lower property taxes (0.98% vs 2.07%). Illinois is more affordable with a cost of living index of 93.4 vs 108.

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	Oregon OR
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	9.9%
	8.82%	0%
	2.07%	0.98%
	93.4	108
Land & Building
	$9,600	$4,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Increasingly permitted with zoning approval; ADU-friendly policies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	8a-9b
	210	210
	48"	70"
	10	8
	3	5
	6	2
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.4
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	3	6
	Strong	Very strong
	No	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	407
	35%	46%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	42
	12%	21%
	90%	88%
Business
	#36	#39
	$150/yr	$50/yr
	4.5%	3.8%

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