Illinois vs Pennsylvania

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

5/10

Pennsylvania

Rank #36

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.1

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

1.58%

93.4

Cost of Living

100

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,800

210 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

54"

10/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.8 hrs

90%

Broadband

85%

Pennsylvania Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.1 vs 60.8, Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania offers cheaper farmland at $6,800/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). Pennsylvania has lower property taxes (1.58% 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	Pennsylvania PA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	3.07%
	8.82%	6.34%
	2.07%	1.58%
	93.4	100
Land & Building
	$9,600	$6,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Zoning-dependent; increasingly allowed in some municipalities
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	5a-7a
	210	180
	48"	54"
	10	7
	3	3
	6	3
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	3.8
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	High
	3	7
	Strong	Strong
	No	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	421
	35%	43%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	297
	12%	18%
	90%	85%
Business
	#36	#33
	$150/yr	$125/yr
	4.5%	3.9%

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