Which has more people, Illinois or Tennessee?

Illinois has a population of 12,735,249 (6th of 51 US states) and Tennessee has 7,378,861 (15th of 51).

How do Illinois and Tennessee compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: Illinois $83,390 (18th of 51), Tennessee $69,595 (42nd of 51) among US states. Illinois ranks better.

How do Illinois and Tennessee compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?

Unemployment Rate (%): Illinois 4.6% (tied 40th of 51), Tennessee 3.5% (tied 15th of 51) among US states. Tennessee ranks better.

Where does Illinois beat Tennessee most clearly?

Illinois ranks far ahead on Overall Homelessness Help Score (Best States to Be Homeless): 63.15 vs 28.72; Shelters and Housing Support Rank (Best States to Be Homeless): 2nd vs 50th; Affordability Rank (Best States for Fishing): 3rd vs 51st.

Where does Tennessee beat Illinois most clearly?

Tennessee ranks far ahead on Estimated Taxes (Least Taxed States): $4,769 vs $14,778; Tax as % of Income (Least Taxed States): 5.5% vs 16.9%; Excessive Drinking Rate (Alcohol Consumption by State): 11.2% vs 21.2%.

Illinois vs Tennessee

Illinois comes out ahead of Tennessee on 446 of 785 statistics where one end is better, to 330 with 9 ties. Illinois leads on Health, Facts & Trivia and Tech & Business and 7 more categories. Tennessee leads on Agriculture, Politics & Government and Travel and 3 more categories.

785 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 9 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Illinois

Wins: 446
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 10

Tennessee

Wins: 330
Avg. percentile: 45
Categories led: 6

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Illinois	Tennessee
Population	12,735,249 6th of 51	7,378,861 15th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$83,390 18th of 51	$69,595 42nd of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	4.6% tied 40th of 51	3.5% tied 15th of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	11.8% 26th of 51	13.8% 39th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	100.0 33rd of 51	91.9 14th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$60,333 17th of 51	$58,582 25th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$71,130 16th of 51	$60,800 40th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,274 28th of 51	$1,189 23rd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	251.0 21st of 51	492.3 46th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	6,104 32nd of 48	3,753 14th of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

HealthIllinois · 173 statistics
Facts & TriviaIllinois · 18 statistics
AgricultureTennessee · 15 statistics
Tech & BusinessIllinois · 47 statistics
LawIllinois · 68 statistics
EducationIllinois · 51 statistics
PopulationIllinois · 115 statistics
SportsIllinois · 17 statistics
CultureIllinois · 78 statistics
Crime & SafetyIllinois · 75 statistics
EnvironmentIllinois · 40 statistics
Politics & GovernmentTennessee · 123 statistics
TravelTennessee · 29 statistics
GeographyTennessee · 25 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergyTennessee · 36 statistics
EconomicsTennessee · 289 statistics

Biggest differences

The 30 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 26 US states.

Statistic	Illinois	Tennessee
Overall Homelessness Help ScoreBest States to Be Homeless	63.15 2nd of 50	28.72 50th of 50
Shelters and Housing Support RankBest States to Be Homeless	2nd 2nd of 50	50th 50th of 50
Affordability RankBest States for Fishing	3rd 3rd of 51	51st 51st of 51
Estimated TaxesLeast Taxed States	$14,778 51st of 51	$4,769 3rd of 51
Tax as % of IncomeLeast Taxed States	16.9% 51st of 51	5.5% tied 3rd of 51
Excessive Drinking RateAlcohol Consumption by State	21.2% 46th of 50	11.2% 1st of 50
Fiscal Stability RankWorst States to Live in	1st worst of 50	44th 6th best of 50
Electrician Median Hourly Wage 2023Electrician Salary by State	$45.72 1st of 51	$26.62 44th of 51
Electrician Median Yearly Wage 2023Electrician Salary by State	$95,090 1st of 51	$55,380 44th of 51
Local Tax Burden Per CapitaHighest Taxed States	$8,390 44th of 50	$4,036 2nd of 50
Hep A Related DeathsHepatitis by State	1 tied 1st of 32	28 29th of 32
Age-Adjusted Depression RateDepression Rates by State	17.3% tied 5th of 49	26.0% 46th of 49
Internet Access (1-10)Best States for Camping	6.83 7th of 49	1.37 tied 47th of 49
License Cost Non ResidentsFly Fishing by State	$31.50 4th of 50	$99.00 45th of 50
Emotional Physical Well Being RankSaddest States	3rd 3rd of 50	44th 44th of 50
Real Estate Property Tax RateProperty Taxes by State	2.01% 49th of 50	0.5% tied 8th of 50
Richest Person AgeRichest Person by State	37 47th of 47	86 tied 8th of 47
Binged Alcohol Past MonthDrug Use by State	27.6% 49th of 51	21.3% 8th of 51
Taxes Paid To Own State Per CapitaTax Burden by State	$6,866 44th of 51	$3,082 3rd of 51
AffordabilityWorst States to Retire	9th 9th worst of 50	49th 2nd best of 50
Annual SalaryFirefighter Salary by State	$39,282 45th of 50	$48,639 5th of 50
Hourly WageFirefighter Salary by State	$18.89 45th of 50	$23.38 5th of 50
Local Effective Tax RateHighest Taxed States	10.2% 44th of 50	6.38% 4th of 50
Monthly PayFirefighter Salary by State	$3,273 45th of 50	$4,053 5th of 50
Prevalence Of Depression 2021Most Depressed States	17.0% tied 6th of 50	25.2% 47th of 50
Weekly PayFirefighter Salary by State	$755 45th of 50	$935 5th of 50
Accidents Per National Park (1-10)Best States for Camping	9.99 tied 42nd of 49	7.79 5th of 49
AnnualBCBA Salary by State	$62,257 41st of 49	$79,464 2nd of 49
Crude Depression RateDepression Rates by State	17.0% tied 6th of 49	25.2% 46th of 49
HourlyBCBA Salary by State	$29.93 41st of 49	$38.20 2nd of 49

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, Illinois or Tennessee?: Illinois comes out ahead of Tennessee on 446 of 785 statistics where one end is better, to 330 with 9 ties. Illinois leads on Health, Facts & Trivia and Tech & Business and 7 more categories. Tennessee leads on Agriculture, Politics & Government and Travel and 3 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Illinois or Tennessee?: Illinois has a population of 12,735,249 (6th of 51 US states) and Tennessee has 7,378,861 (15th of 51).
How do Illinois and Tennessee compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Illinois $83,390 (18th of 51), Tennessee $69,595 (42nd of 51) among US states. Illinois ranks better.
How do Illinois and Tennessee compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Illinois 4.6% (tied 40th of 51), Tennessee 3.5% (tied 15th of 51) among US states. Tennessee ranks better.
Where does Illinois beat Tennessee most clearly?: Illinois ranks far ahead on Overall Homelessness Help Score (Best States to Be Homeless): 63.15 vs 28.72; Shelters and Housing Support Rank (Best States to Be Homeless): 2nd vs 50th; Affordability Rank (Best States for Fishing): 3rd vs 51st.
Where does Tennessee beat Illinois most clearly?: Tennessee ranks far ahead on Estimated Taxes (Least Taxed States): $4,769 vs $14,778; Tax as % of Income (Least Taxed States): 5.5% vs 16.9%; Excessive Drinking Rate (Alcohol Consumption by State): 11.2% vs 21.2%.

More matchups

Other comparisons with Illinois or Tennessee.

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