The map above shows Illinois and Tennessee side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs Tennessee Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while Tennessee has 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²).
- Illinois' land area is 1.3 times (35%) larger than Tennessee's.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Illinois' total area is 1.4 times (37%) larger than Tennessee's.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 2.0 times (104%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km).
- Tennessee's east-west width is 1.8 times (76%) wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); Tennessee's is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m).
- Clingmans Dome is 5,392 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; Tennessee's is Mississippi River at 178 feet.
- Tennessee's lowest point is 114 feet lower.
Illinois vs Tennessee Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while Tennessee has 7,227,750 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 1.8 times (76%) larger than Tennessee's.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs Tennessee: 175.3.
- Illinois' population density is 1.3 times (31%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; Tennessee's is Nashville with 704,963.
- Chicago's population is 3.9 times (286%) larger than Nashville's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs Tennessee's Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's population is 4.4 times (337%) larger than Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area's.
History
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- Tennessee: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state.
- In its current form, Tennessee is the older of the two by 22 years.
Illinois vs Tennessee Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs Tennessee's $561.2 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 2.0 times (105%) larger than Tennessee's.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs Tennessee: $77,645.
- Illinois' GDP per capita is 1.2 times (16%) higher than Tennessee's.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs Tennessee: $66,504 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois' average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Tennessee's.
Illinois vs Tennessee Counties
Number of counties
- Illinois has 102 counties, while Tennessee has 95.
- Illinois' county count is 1.1 times (7%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest county by area
- Illinois's largest county is McLean County at 1,183 square miles; Tennessee's is Shelby County at 753 square miles.
- McLean County's land area is 1.6 times (57%) larger than Shelby County's.
Smallest county by area
- Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi) vs Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi).
- Putnam County's land area is 1.4 times (40%) larger than Trousdale County's.
Most populous county
- Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people) vs Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people).
- Cook County's population is 5.7 times (469%) larger than Shelby County's.
Least populous county
- Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people) vs Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people).
- Pickett County's population is 1.4 times (44%) larger than Hardin County's.
Richest county
- Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704).
- Williamson County's income is 1.3 times (33%) richer than Cumberland County's.
Poorest county
- Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572).
- Lawrence County's income is 1.4 times (38%) richer than Lake County's.
Illinois vs Tennessee Taxes
State income tax
- Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%, while Tennessee has no state income tax.
- Illinois's top rate is 4.95 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Illinois: 1.92% effective rate vs Tennessee: 0.45% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 1.47 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Illinois: 8.98% combined state and average local rate vs Tennessee: 9.61%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 0.63 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · Tennessee official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois size comparisons · All Tennessee 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.