Illinois vs Utah

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

5/10

Utah

Rank #19

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.6

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.6%

93.4

Cost of Living

104

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$2,800

210 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

24"

10/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

5.5 hrs

90%

Broadband

88%

Utah Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.6 vs 60.8, Utah 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: Utah offers cheaper farmland at $2,800/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). Utah has lower property taxes (0.6% 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	Utah UT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	4.65%
	8.82%	7.25%
	2.07%	0.6%
	93.4	104
Land & Building
	$9,600	$2,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	4a-9a
	210	180
	48"	24"
	10	6
	3	8
	6	2
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	5.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	3	9
	Strong	Strong
	No	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	267
	35%	38%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	38
	12%	11%
	90%	88%
Business
	#36	#16
	$150/yr	$50/yr
	4.5%	2.9%

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