The map above shows Illinois and Kansas side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs Kansas Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while Kansas has 81,759 square miles (211,754 km²).
- Kansas' land area is 1.5 times (47%) larger than Illinois'.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs Kansas: 82,278 square miles (213,100 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Kansas' total area is 1.4 times (42%) larger than Illinois'.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; Kansas is 207 miles (334 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 1.9 times (88%) longer than Kansas'.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; Kansas spans 401 miles (645 km).
- Kansas' east-west width is 1.4 times (42%) wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); Kansas's is Mount Sunflower at 4,040 feet (1,231 m).
- Mount Sunflower is 2,808 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; Kansas's is Verdigris River at 679 feet.
- Illinois's lowest point is 387 feet lower.
Illinois vs Kansas Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while Kansas has 2,970,606 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 4.3 times (328%) larger than Kansas'.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs Kansas: 36.3.
- Illinois' population density is 6.3 times (531%) higher than Kansas'.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; Kansas's is Wichita with 400,991.
- Chicago's population is 6.8 times (579%) larger than Wichita's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs Kansas's Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (2,253,579).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's population is 4.2 times (317%) larger than Kansas City, MO-KS metro area's.
History
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- Kansas: Admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861, as the 34th state.
- In its current form, Illinois is the older of the two by 43 years.
Illinois vs Kansas Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs Kansas's $230.5 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 5.0 times (398%) larger than Kansas'.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs Kansas: $77,601.
- Illinois' GDP per capita is 1.2 times (16%) higher than Kansas'.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs Kansas: $65,856 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois' average income is 1.1 times (13%) higher than Kansas'.
Illinois vs Kansas Counties
Number of counties
- Illinois has 102 counties, while Kansas has 105.
- Illinois and Kansas have about the same county count.
Biggest county by area
- Illinois's largest county is McLean County at 1,183 square miles; Kansas's is Butler County at 1,430 square miles.
- Butler County's land area is 1.2 times (21%) larger than McLean County's.
Smallest county by area
- Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi) vs Kansas: Wyandotte County (152 sq mi).
- Putnam County's land area is 1.1 times (6%) larger than Wyandotte County's.
Most populous county
- Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people) vs Kansas: Johnson County (632,276 people).
- Cook County's population is 8.2 times (720%) larger than Johnson County's.
Least populous county
- Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people) vs Kansas: Greeley County (1,152 people).
- Hardin County's population is 3.1 times (208%) larger than Greeley County's.
Richest county
- Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890 per capita income) vs Kansas: Greeley County ($134,780).
- Greeley County's income is 1.3 times (28%) richer than Cumberland County's.
Poorest county
- Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606 per capita income) vs Kansas: Wyandotte County ($42,878).
- Lawrence County and Wyandotte County have about the same income.
Illinois vs Kansas Taxes
State income tax
- Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%, while Kansas has a top income tax rate of 5.58%.
- Kansas's top rate is 0.63 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Illinois: 1.92% effective rate vs Kansas: 1.25% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 0.67 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Illinois: 8.98% combined state and average local rate vs Kansas: 8.71%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 0.27 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · Kansas official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois size comparisons · All Kansas 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.