Illinois vs Texas

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

2/10

Texas

Rank #2

Overall Winner

Overall Score

72.1

Category Wins

8/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

1.6%

93.4

Cost of Living

92.1

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$2,970

210 days

Growing Season

300 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

55"

10/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

10/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

5.25 hrs

90%

Broadband

88%

Texas Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 72.1 vs 60.8, Texas comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 8 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Texas offers cheaper farmland at $2,970/acre vs $9,600/acre. Texas has a longer growing season (300 vs 210 days). Texas has lower property taxes (1.6% 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	Texas TX
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	No
	4.95%	—
	8.82%	8.2%
	2.07%	1.6%
	93.4	92.1
Land & Building
	$9,600	$2,970
	Yes (Statewide)	No Statewide Code
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	6b-10a
	210	300
	48"	55"
	10	6
	3	7
	6	6
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	5.25
	Yes	No
Laws & Freedom
	Low	None
	3	10
	Strong	Strong
	No	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	450
	35%	50%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	113
	12%	15%
	90%	88%
Business
	#36	#7
	$150/yr	$300/yr
	4.5%	4%

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