Illinois vs West Virginia

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

5/10

West Virginia

Rank #34

Overall Winner

Overall Score

62.5

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.57%

93.4

Cost of Living

83.2

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,200

210 days

Growing Season

180 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

55"

10/10

Soil Quality

5/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.85 hrs

90%

Broadband

72%

West Virginia Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 62.5 vs 60.8, West Virginia 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: West Virginia offers cheaper farmland at $3,200/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 180 days). West Virginia has lower property taxes (0.57% 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	West Virginia WV
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	5.12%
	8.82%	6.55%
	2.07%	0.57%
	93.4	83.2
Land & Building
	$9,600	$3,200
	Yes (Statewide)	Partial
	Varies	Varies
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	5b-7a
	210	180
	48"	55"
	10	5
	3	2
	6	2
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Unrestricted
	4.2	3.85
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Medium
	3	9
	Strong	Moderate
	No	Herd Share Only
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	315
	35%	45%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	73.6
	12%	51%
	90%	72%
Business
	#36	#23
	$150/yr	$100/yr
	4.5%	4.5%

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