The map above shows Delaware and Illinois side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Delaware vs Illinois Geography
Land area
- Delaware has a land area of 1,949 square miles (5,047 km²), while Illinois has 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²).
- Illinois' land area is 28.5 times larger than Delaware's.
Total area
- Delaware: 2,489 square miles (6,446 km²) vs Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Illinois' total area is 23.3 times larger than Delaware's.
Length
- Delaware is 98 miles (158 km) long from north to south; Illinois is 390 miles (628 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 4.0 times (298%) longer than Delaware's.
Width
- Delaware spans 96 miles (155 km) east to west; Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km).
- Illinois' east-west width is 2.9 times (195%) wider than Delaware's.
Highest point
- Delaware's highest point is Ebright Azimuth at 450 feet (137 m); Illinois's is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m).
- Charles Mound is 782 feet higher than Ebright Azimuth.
Lowest point
- Delaware's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Illinois's is Mississippi River at 292 feet.
- Delaware's lowest point is 292 feet lower.
Delaware vs Illinois Population and History
Population
- Delaware has a population of 1,051,917 (2024), while Illinois has 12,710,158 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 12.1 times larger than Delaware's.
Population density
- Delaware: 539.9 people per square mile vs Illinois: 229.0.
- Delaware's population density is 2.4 times (136%) higher than Illinois'.
Biggest city
- Delaware's biggest city is Wilmington with 73,176 people; Illinois's is Chicago with 2,721,308.
- Chicago's population is 37.2 times larger than Wilmington's.
Largest metro area
- Delaware's largest metropolitan area is Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (6,330,422 people) vs Illinois's Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's population is 1.5 times (49%) larger than Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area's.
History
- Delaware: Admitted to the Union on December 7, 1787, as the 1st state.
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- In its current form, Delaware is the older of the two by 31 years.
Delaware vs Illinois Economy
GDP
- Delaware's GDP is $111.0 billion (2024) vs Illinois's $1,148.1 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 10.3 times larger than Delaware's.
GDP per capita
- Delaware: $105,495 per person vs Illinois: $90,330.
- Delaware's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (17%) higher than Illinois'.
Average income
- Delaware: $68,061 vs Illinois: $74,522 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois' average income is 1.1 times (9%) higher than Delaware's.
Delaware vs Illinois Counties
Number of counties
- Delaware has 3 counties, while Illinois has 102.
- Illinois' county count is 34.0 times higher than Delaware's.
Biggest county by area
- Delaware's largest county is Sussex County at 936 square miles; Illinois's is McLean County at 1,183 square miles.
- McLean County's land area is 1.3 times (26%) larger than Sussex County's.
Smallest county by area
- Delaware: New Castle County (426 sq mi) vs Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi).
- New Castle County's land area is 2.7 times (166%) larger than Putnam County's.
Most populous county
- Delaware: New Castle County (588,093 people) vs Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people).
- Cook County's population is 8.8 times (781%) larger than New Castle County's.
Least populous county
- Delaware: Kent County (192,690 people) vs Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people).
- Kent County's population is 54.3 times larger than Hardin County's.
Richest county
- Delaware: Sussex County ($73,647 per capita income) vs Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890).
- Cumberland County's income is 1.4 times (42%) richer than Sussex County's.
Poorest county
- Delaware: Kent County ($55,474 per capita income) vs Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606).
- Kent County's income is 1.3 times (27%) richer than Lawrence County's.
Delaware vs Illinois Taxes
State income tax
- Delaware has a top income tax rate of 6.6%, while Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%.
- Delaware's top rate is 1.65 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Delaware: 0.47% effective rate vs Illinois: 1.92% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 1.45 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Delaware: 0% combined state and average local rate vs Illinois: 8.98%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 8.98 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Delaware official website · Illinois official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Delaware 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.