Illinois vs Virginia

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

4/10

Virginia

Rank #26

Overall Winner

Overall Score

65.0

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.84%

93.4

Cost of Living

108

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$6,200

210 days

Growing Season

210 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

50"

10/10

Soil Quality

7/10

Safety (Rural)

7/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

6/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.1 hrs

90%

Broadband

87%

Virginia Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 65.0 vs 60.8, Virginia comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 4 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $6,200/acre vs $9,600/acre. Virginia has lower property taxes (0.84% 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	Virginia VA
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	5.75%
	8.82%	5.87%
	2.07%	0.84%
	93.4	108
Land & Building
	$9,600	$6,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Zoning-dependent; increasingly permitted in some areas
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	6a-8a
	210	210
	48"	50"
	10	7
	3	3
	6	3
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.1
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Moderate
	3	6
	Strong	Strong
	No	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	410
	35%	43%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	209
	12%	23%
	90%	87%
Business
	#36	#27
	$150/yr	$100/yr
	4.5%	3.4%

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