The map above shows Alaska and Illinois side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alaska vs Illinois Geography
Land area
- Alaska has a land area of 571,242 square miles (1,479,509 km²), while Illinois has 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²).
- Alaska's land area is 10.3 times larger than Illinois'.
Total area
- Alaska: 665,725 square miles (1,724,220 km²) vs Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alaska's total area is 11.5 times larger than Illinois'.
Length
- Alaska is 1,201 miles (1,933 km) long from north to south; Illinois is 390 miles (628 km).
- Alaska's north-south length is 3.1 times (208%) longer than Illinois'.
Width
- Alaska spans 1,544 miles (2,485 km) east to west; Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km).
- Alaska's east-west width is 5.5 times (446%) wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- Alaska's highest point is Denali at 20,235 feet (6,168 m); Illinois's is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m).
- Denali is 19,003 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Alaska's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; Illinois's is Mississippi River at 292 feet.
- Alaska's lowest point is 292 feet lower.
Alaska vs Illinois Population and History
Population
- Alaska has a population of 740,133 (2024), while Illinois has 12,710,158 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 17.2 times larger than Alaska's.
Population density
- Alaska: 1.3 people per square mile vs Illinois: 229.0.
- Illinois' population density is 176.2 times higher than Alaska's.
Biggest city
- Alaska's biggest city is Anchorage with 289,600 people; Illinois's is Chicago with 2,721,308.
- Chicago's population is 9.4 times (840%) larger than Anchorage's.
Largest metro area
- Alaska's largest metropolitan area is Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 people) vs Illinois's Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's population is 23.1 times larger than Anchorage, AK metro area's.
History
- Alaska: Admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959, as the 49th state.
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- In its current form, Illinois is the older of the two by 141 years.
Alaska vs Illinois Economy
GDP
- Alaska's GDP is $71.6 billion (2024) vs Illinois's $1,148.1 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 16.0 times larger than Alaska's.
GDP per capita
- Alaska: $96,695 per person vs Illinois: $90,330.
- Alaska's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (7%) higher than Illinois'.
Average income
- Alaska: $76,234 vs Illinois: $74,522 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Alaska and Illinois have about the same average income.
Alaska vs Illinois Counties
Number of counties
- Alaska has 30 counties, while Illinois has 102.
- Illinois' county count is 3.4 times (240%) higher than Alaska's.
Biggest county by area
- Alaska's largest county is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area at 145,769 square miles; Illinois's is McLean County at 1,183 square miles.
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area's land area is 123.2 times larger than McLean County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alaska: Skagway Municipality (443 sq mi) vs Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi).
- Skagway Municipality's land area is 2.8 times (177%) larger than Putnam County's.
Most populous county
- Alaska: Anchorage Municipality (289,600 people) vs Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people).
- Cook County's population is 17.9 times larger than Anchorage Municipality's.
Least populous county
- Alaska: Yakutat City and Borough (690 people) vs Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people).
- Hardin County's population is 5.1 times (414%) larger than Yakutat City and Borough's.
Richest county
- Alaska: Bristol Bay Borough ($158,406 per capita income) vs Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890).
- Bristol Bay Borough's income is 1.5 times (51%) richer than Cumberland County's.
Poorest county
- Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area ($37,765 per capita income) vs Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606).
- Lawrence County's income is 1.2 times (15%) richer than Kusilvak Census Area's.
Alaska vs Illinois Taxes
State income tax
- Alaska has no state income tax, while Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%.
- Illinois's top rate is 4.95 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alaska: 1.06% effective rate vs Illinois: 1.92% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 0.86 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alaska: 1.82% combined state and average local rate vs Illinois: 8.98%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 7.16 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alaska official website · Illinois official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alaska size comparisons · All Illinois size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.