The map above shows Illinois and Maryland side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs Maryland Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while Maryland has 9,711 square miles (25,151 km²).
- Illinois' land area is 5.7 times (472%) larger than Maryland's.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs Maryland: 12,406 square miles (32,131 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Illinois' total area is 4.7 times (367%) larger than Maryland's.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; Maryland is 231 miles (371 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 1.7 times (69%) longer than Maryland's.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; Maryland spans 243 miles (391 km).
- Illinois' east-west width is 1.2 times (16%) wider than Maryland's.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); Maryland's is Hoye-Crest at 3,362 feet (1,025 m).
- Hoye-Crest is 2,130 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; Maryland's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Maryland's lowest point is 292 feet lower.
Illinois vs Maryland Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while Maryland has 6,263,220 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 2.0 times (103%) larger than Maryland's.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs Maryland: 645.0.
- Maryland's population density is 2.8 times (182%) higher than Illinois'.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; Maryland's is Baltimore with 568,271.
- Chicago's population is 4.8 times (379%) larger than Baltimore's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs Maryland's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- 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
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- Maryland: Admitted to the Union on April 28, 1788, as the 7th state.
- In its current form, Maryland is the older of the two by 30 years.
Illinois vs Maryland Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs Maryland's $546.0 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 2.1 times (110%) larger than Maryland's.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs Maryland: $87,180.
- Illinois and Maryland have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs Maryland: $79,259 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Maryland's average income is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Illinois'.
Illinois vs Maryland Counties
Number of counties
- Illinois has 102 counties, while Maryland has 24.
- Illinois' county count is 4.3 times (325%) higher than Maryland's.
Biggest county by area
- Illinois's largest county is McLean County at 1,183 square miles; Maryland's is Frederick County at 661 square miles.
- McLean County's land area is 1.8 times (79%) larger than Frederick County's.
Smallest county by area
- Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi) vs Maryland: Baltimore city (81 sq mi).
- Putnam County's land area is 2.0 times (98%) larger than Baltimore city's.
Most populous county
- Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people) vs Maryland: Montgomery County (1,082,273 people).
- Cook County's population is 4.8 times (379%) larger than Montgomery County's.
Least populous county
- Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people) vs Maryland: Kent County (19,557 people).
- Kent County's population is 5.5 times (451%) larger than Hardin County's.
Richest county
- Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890 per capita income) vs Maryland: Montgomery County ($104,882).
- Cumberland County and Montgomery County have about the same income.
Poorest county
- Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606 per capita income) vs Maryland: Somerset County ($41,421).
- Lawrence County's income is 1.1 times (5%) richer than Somerset County's.
Illinois vs Maryland Taxes
State income tax
- Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%, while Maryland has a top income tax rate of 6.5%.
- Maryland's top rate is 1.55 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Illinois: 1.92% effective rate vs Maryland: 0.95% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 0.97 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Illinois: 8.98% combined state and average local rate vs Maryland: 6%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 2.98 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · Maryland official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois size comparisons · All Maryland 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.