The map above shows District of Columbia and Illinois side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
District of Columbia vs Illinois Geography
Land area
- District of Columbia has a land area of 61 square miles (158 km²), while Illinois has 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²).
- Illinois' land area is 910.0 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Total area
- District of Columbia: 68 square miles (177 km²) vs Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Illinois' total area is 847.4 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Length
- District of Columbia is 13 miles (22 km) long from north to south; Illinois is 390 miles (628 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 30.0 times longer than District of Columbia's.
Width
- District of Columbia spans 12 miles (19 km) east to west; Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km).
- Illinois' east-west width is 23.6 times wider than District of Columbia's.
Highest point
- District of Columbia's highest point is Fort Reno at 429 feet (131 m); Illinois's is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m).
- Charles Mound is 803 feet higher than Fort Reno.
Lowest point
- District of Columbia's lowest point is Potomac River at 0 feet; Illinois's is Mississippi River at 292 feet.
- District of Columbia's lowest point is 292 feet lower.
District of Columbia vs Illinois Population and History
Population
- District of Columbia has a population of 702,250 (2024), while Illinois has 12,710,158 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 18.1 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Population density
- District of Columbia: 11,493.5 people per square mile vs Illinois: 229.0.
- District of Columbia's population density is 50.2 times higher than Illinois'.
Biggest city
- District of Columbia's biggest city is Washington with 702,250 people; Illinois's is Chicago with 2,721,308.
- Chicago's population is 3.9 times (288%) larger than Washington's.
Largest metro area
- District of Columbia's largest metropolitan area is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489 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 (46%) larger than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's.
History
- District of Columbia: The federal district, established by the Residence Act on July 16, 1790; not a state.
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- In its current form, District of Columbia is the older of the two by 28 years.
District of Columbia vs Illinois Economy
GDP
- District of Columbia's GDP is $184.3 billion (2024) vs Illinois's $1,148.1 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 6.2 times (523%) larger than District of Columbia's.
GDP per capita
- District of Columbia: $262,439 per person vs Illinois: $90,330.
- District of Columbia's GDP per capita is 2.9 times (191%) higher than Illinois'.
Average income
- District of Columbia: $111,185 vs Illinois: $74,522 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- District of Columbia's average income is 1.5 times (49%) higher than Illinois'.
District of Columbia vs Illinois Counties
Number of counties
- District of Columbia has 1 counties, while Illinois has 102.
- Illinois' county count is 102.0 times higher than District of Columbia's.
Biggest county by area
- District of Columbia's largest county is District of Columbia at 61 square miles; Illinois's is McLean County at 1,183 square miles.
- McLean County's land area is 19.4 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Smallest county by area
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (61 sq mi) vs Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi).
- Putnam County's land area is 2.6 times (162%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Most populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people).
- Cook County's population is 7.4 times (638%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Least populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people).
- District of Columbia's population is 197.8 times larger than Hardin County's.
Richest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890).
- District of Columbia's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Cumberland County's.
Poorest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606).
- District of Columbia's income is 2.5 times (155%) richer than Lawrence County's.
District of Columbia vs Illinois Taxes
State income tax
- District of Columbia has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%.
- District of Columbia's top rate is 5.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- District of Columbia: 0.63% effective rate vs Illinois: 1.92% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 1.29 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- District of Columbia: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Illinois: 8.98%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 2.98 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
District of Columbia official website · Illinois official website
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More Size Comparisons
All District of Columbia 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.