The map above shows Illinois and Michigan side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs Michigan Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while Michigan has 56,611 square miles (146,622 km²).
- Illinois and Michigan have about the same land area.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs Michigan: 96,713 square miles (250,486 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Michigan's total area is 1.7 times (67%) larger than Illinois'.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; Michigan is 489 miles (786 km).
- Michigan's north-south length is 1.3 times (25%) longer than Illinois'.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; Michigan spans 453 miles (728 km).
- Michigan's east-west width is 1.6 times (60%) wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); Michigan's is Mount Arvon at 2,014 feet (614 m).
- Mount Arvon is 782 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; Michigan's is Lake Erie at 571 feet.
- Illinois's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
Illinois vs Michigan Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while Michigan has 10,140,459 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 1.3 times (25%) larger than Michigan's.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs Michigan: 179.1.
- Illinois' population density is 1.3 times (28%) higher than Michigan's.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; Michigan's is Detroit with 645,705.
- Chicago's population is 4.2 times (321%) larger than Detroit's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs Michigan's Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (4,400,578).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's population is 2.1 times (114%) larger than Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area's.
History
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- Michigan: Admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state.
- In its current form, Illinois is the older of the two by 19 years.
Illinois vs Michigan Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs Michigan's $702.5 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 1.6 times (63%) larger than Michigan's.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs Michigan: $69,274.
- Illinois' GDP per capita is 1.3 times (30%) higher than Michigan's.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs Michigan: $63,690 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois' average income is 1.2 times (17%) higher than Michigan's.
Illinois vs Michigan Counties
Number of counties
- Illinois has 102 counties, while Michigan has 83.
- Illinois' county count is 1.2 times (23%) higher than Michigan's.
Biggest county by area
- Illinois's largest county is McLean County at 1,183 square miles; Michigan's is Marquette County at 1,809 square miles.
- Marquette County's land area is 1.5 times (53%) larger than McLean County's.
Smallest county by area
- Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi) vs Michigan: Benzie County (320 sq mi).
- Benzie County's land area is 2.0 times (100%) larger than Putnam County's.
Most populous county
- Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people) vs Michigan: Wayne County (1,771,063 people).
- Cook County's population is 2.9 times (193%) larger than Wayne County's.
Least populous county
- Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people) vs Michigan: Keweenaw County (2,161 people).
- Hardin County's population is 1.6 times (64%) larger than Keweenaw County's.
Richest county
- Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890 per capita income) vs Michigan: Oakland County ($93,579).
- Cumberland County's income is 1.1 times (12%) richer than Oakland County's.
Poorest county
- Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606 per capita income) vs Michigan: Lake County ($39,505).
- Lawrence County's income is 1.1 times (10%) richer than Lake County's.
Illinois vs Michigan Taxes
State income tax
- Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%, while Michigan has a top income tax rate of 4.25%.
- Illinois's top rate is 0.7 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Illinois: 1.92% effective rate vs Michigan: 1.18% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 0.74 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Illinois: 8.98% combined state and average local rate vs Michigan: 6%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 2.98 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · Michigan official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois size comparisons · All Michigan 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.