Illinois vs South Dakota

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

6/10

South Dakota

Rank #11

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.84%

93.4

Cost of Living

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$1,950

210 days

Growing Season

160 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

28"

10/10

Soil Quality

9/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

90%

Broadband

81%

South Dakota Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 60.8, South Dakota 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: South Dakota offers cheaper farmland at $1,950/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 160 days). South Dakota 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	South Dakota SD
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	4.95%	—
	8.82%	7.33%
	2.07%	0.84%
	93.4	94
Land & Building
	$9,600	$1,950
	Yes (Statewide)	No (Local Adoption)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	3a-5a
	210	160
	48"	28"
	10	9
	3	6
	6	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	3	9
	Strong	Very strong
	No	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	348
	35%	42%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	11
	12%	44%
	90%	81%
Business
	#36	#12
	$150/yr	$150/yr
	4.5%	2.7%

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