The map above shows Illinois and North Dakota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs North Dakota Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while North Dakota has 68,994 square miles (178,694 km²).
- North Dakota's land area is 1.2 times (24%) larger than Illinois'.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs North Dakota: 70,699 square miles (183,109 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- North Dakota's total area is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Illinois'.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; North Dakota is 338 miles (544 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 1.2 times (15%) longer than North Dakota's.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; North Dakota spans 408 miles (657 km).
- North Dakota's east-west width is 1.4 times (44%) wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); North Dakota's is White Butte at 3,500 feet (1,067 m).
- White Butte is 2,268 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; North Dakota's is Red River of the North at 754 feet.
- Illinois's lowest point is 462 feet lower.
Illinois vs North Dakota Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while North Dakota has 796,568 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 16.0 times larger than North Dakota's.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs North Dakota: 11.5.
- Illinois' population density is 19.9 times higher than North Dakota's.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; North Dakota's is Fargo with 136,285.
- Chicago's population is 20.0 times larger than Fargo's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs North Dakota's Fargo, ND-MN metro area (267,793).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's population is 35.1 times larger than Fargo, ND-MN metro area's.
History
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- North Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 39th state.
- In its current form, Illinois is the older of the two by 71 years.
Illinois vs North Dakota Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs North Dakota's $80.1 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 14.3 times larger than North Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs North Dakota: $100,504.
- North Dakota's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (11%) higher than Illinois'.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs North Dakota: $71,749 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois and North Dakota have about the same average income.
Illinois vs North Dakota Counties
Number of counties
- Illinois has 102 counties, while North Dakota has 53.
- Illinois' county count is 1.9 times (92%) higher than North Dakota's.
Biggest county by area
- Illinois's largest county is McLean County at 1,183 square miles; North Dakota's is McKenzie County at 2,760 square miles.
- McKenzie County's land area is 2.3 times (133%) larger than McLean County's.
Smallest county by area
- Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi) vs North Dakota: Eddy County (630 sq mi).
- Eddy County's land area is 3.9 times (294%) larger than Putnam County's.
Most populous county
- Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people) vs North Dakota: Cass County (200,945 people).
- Cook County's population is 25.8 times larger than Cass County's.
Least populous county
- Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people) vs North Dakota: Slope County (660 people).
- Hardin County's population is 5.4 times (438%) larger than Slope County's.
Richest county
- Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890 per capita income) vs North Dakota: Dunn County ($99,793).
- Cumberland County's income is 1.1 times (5%) richer than Dunn County's.
Poorest county
- Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606 per capita income) vs North Dakota: Sioux County ($33,782).
- Lawrence County's income is 1.3 times (29%) richer than Sioux County's.
Illinois vs North Dakota Taxes
State income tax
- Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%, while North Dakota has a top income tax rate of 2.5%.
- Illinois's top rate is 2.45 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Illinois: 1.92% effective rate vs North Dakota: 0.96% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 0.96 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Illinois: 8.98% combined state and average local rate vs North Dakota: 7.09%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 1.89 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · North Dakota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois size comparisons · All North Dakota 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.