Which has more people, Illinois or Washington?

Illinois has a population of 12,735,249 (6th of 51 US states) and Washington has 8,074,082 (13th of 51).

How do Illinois and Washington compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: Illinois $83,390 (18th of 51), Washington $98,141 (8th of 51) among US states. Washington ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): Illinois 4.6% (tied 40th of 51), Washington 4.7% (tied 43rd of 51) among US states. Illinois ranks better.

Where does Illinois beat Washington most clearly?

Illinois ranks far ahead on Foreclosure Rate (Foreclosure Rates by State): 762 vs 4,222; Affordability Rank (Best States for Fishing): 3rd vs 48th; % of Amphibian Species at Risk (Most Biodiverse States): 2.6% vs 32.0%.

Where does Washington beat Illinois most clearly?

Washington ranks far ahead on Binged Alcohol Past Month (Drug Use by State): 20.5% vs 27.6%; Estimated Taxes (Least Taxed States): $5,723 vs $14,778; Tax as % of Income (Least Taxed States): 6.5% vs 16.9%.

Illinois vs Washington

Washington comes out ahead of Illinois on 453 of 799 statistics where one end is better, to 337 with 9 ties. Illinois leads on Travel, Law and Sports. Washington leads on Agriculture, Education and Environment and 9 more categories.

799 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: 337
Avg. percentile: 52
Categories led: 3

Washington

Wins: 453
Avg. percentile: 57
Categories led: 12

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	Illinois	Washington
Population	12,735,249 6th of 51	8,074,082 13th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$83,390 18th of 51	$98,141 8th of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	4.6% tied 40th of 51	4.7% tied 43rd of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	11.8% 26th of 51	9.9% 8th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	100.0 33rd of 51	107.0 46th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$60,333 17th of 51	$64,421 10th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$71,130 16th of 51	$83,330 3rd of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$1,274 28th of 51	$1,760 46th of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	251.0 21st of 51	283.9 25th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	6,104 32nd of 48	5,610 25th of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

AgricultureWashington · 15 statistics
EducationWashington · 51 statistics
EnvironmentWashington · 40 statistics
GeographyWashington · 25 statistics
TravelIllinois · 29 statistics
HealthWashington · 188 statistics
EconomicsWashington · 289 statistics
Tech & BusinessWashington · 48 statistics
Politics & GovernmentWashington · 127 statistics
Crime & SafetyWashington · 76 statistics
LawIllinois · 67 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergyWashington · 36 statistics
CultureWashington · 79 statistics
SportsIllinois · 17 statistics
PopulationWashington · 124 statistics
Facts & TriviaEven · 18 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	Illinois	Washington
Binged Alcohol Past MonthDrug Use by State	27.6% 49th of 51	20.5% 3rd of 51
Estimated TaxesLeast Taxed States	$14,778 51st of 51	$5,723 6th of 51
Foreclosure RateForeclosure Rates by State	762 1st of 51	4,222 46th of 51
Tax as % of IncomeLeast Taxed States	16.9% 51st of 51	6.5% 6th of 51
Affordability RankBest States for Fishing	3rd 3rd of 51	48th 48th of 51
MPH Overall RankGreenest States	45th 45th of 50	1st 1st of 50
Weekly PaySchool Counselor Salary by State	$872 tied 44th of 50	$1,256 1st of 50
Annual SalaryBSN Salary by State	$78,800 44th of 50	$113,758 1st of 50
Annual SalarySchool Counselor Salary by State	$45,366 44th of 50	$65,314 1st of 50
FTE Convictions per Capita RankMost Corrupt States	6th 6th worst of 50	49th 2nd best of 50
Hourly WageBSN Salary by State	$37.88 44th of 50	$54.69 1st of 50
Hourly WageSchool Counselor Salary by State	$21.81 44th of 50	$31.40 1st of 50
Monthly PaySchool Counselor Salary by State	$3,780 44th of 50	$5,442 1st of 50
% of Amphibian Species at RiskMost Biodiverse States	2.6% 2nd of 31	32.0% 28th of 31
AnnualRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$75,815 46th of 50	$112,860 4th of 50
HourlyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$36.45 46th of 50	$54.26 4th of 50
MonthlyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$6,317 46th of 50	$9,405 4th of 50
Most Hated RankMost Hated States in the US	1st worst of 50	43rd 8th best of 50
WeeklyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$1,457 46th of 50	$2,170 4th of 50
Driving IncidentsWorst Drivers by State	24.9 per 1k drivers 5th of 51	44.9 per 1k drivers 47th of 51
Air Quality IndexAir Quality by State	50.4 48th of 51	31.6 6th of 51
Chronically HomelessHomeless Population by State	381 8th of 51	11,986 50th of 51
Safety RankQuality of Life by State	9th 9th of 50	50th 50th of 50
Attractive People RankMost Attractive States	1st 1st of 49	42nd 41st of 49
Campsite Quality (1-10)Best States for Camping	3.08 44th of 49	9.27 4th of 49
Scenic Beauty RankMost Beautiful States	47th 46th of 49	6th 6th of 49
State Tax RateMega Millions States	3.75 5th of 38	8.5 tied 35th of 38
Medical Cannabis CostMarijuana Cost by State	$354 42nd of 50	$233 2nd of 50
CAS Illegal Executive Corruption Level (1-5)Most Corrupt States	3 tied 37th of 48	1 tied 1st of 48
Eggflation (Cost Increase Per Dozen)Egg Prices by State	80.0% tied 40th of 50	15.0% 1st of 50

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 Washington?: Washington comes out ahead of Illinois on 453 of 799 statistics where one end is better, to 337 with 9 ties. Illinois leads on Travel, Law and Sports. Washington leads on Agriculture, Education and Environment and 9 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Illinois or Washington?: Illinois has a population of 12,735,249 (6th of 51 US states) and Washington has 8,074,082 (13th of 51).
How do Illinois and Washington compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Illinois $83,390 (18th of 51), Washington $98,141 (8th of 51) among US states. Washington ranks better.
How do Illinois and Washington compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): Illinois 4.6% (tied 40th of 51), Washington 4.7% (tied 43rd of 51) among US states. Illinois ranks better.
Where does Illinois beat Washington most clearly?: Illinois ranks far ahead on Foreclosure Rate (Foreclosure Rates by State): 762 vs 4,222; Affordability Rank (Best States for Fishing): 3rd vs 48th; % of Amphibian Species at Risk (Most Biodiverse States): 2.6% vs 32.0%.
Where does Washington beat Illinois most clearly?: Washington ranks far ahead on Binged Alcohol Past Month (Drug Use by State): 20.5% vs 27.6%; Estimated Taxes (Least Taxed States): $5,723 vs $14,778; Tax as % of Income (Least Taxed States): 6.5% vs 16.9%.

More matchups

Other comparisons with Illinois or Washington.

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