Illinois vs Wisconsin

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

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

6/10

Wisconsin

Rank #21

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

1.85%

93.4

Cost of Living

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,800

210 days

Growing Season

170 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

36"

10/10

Soil Quality

8/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

7/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

3.9 hrs

90%

Broadband

84%

Wisconsin Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 60.8, Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin offers cheaper farmland at $3,800/acre vs $9,600/acre. Illinois has a longer growing season (210 vs 170 days). Wisconsin has lower property taxes (1.85% 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	Wisconsin WI
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	7.65%
	8.82%	5.43%
	2.07%	1.85%
	93.4	96
Land & Building
	$9,600	$3,800
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	3a-5b
	210	170
	48"	36"
	10	8
	3	3
	6	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	3.9
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Moderate
	3	7
	Strong	Very strong
	No	Illegal (incidental on-farm sales only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	299
	35%	37%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	108
	12%	30%
	90%	84%
Business
	#36	#30
	$150/yr	$130/yr
	4.5%	3.5%

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