Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Carolina instead of Illinois, you would:
Economy
be 29.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Illinois, 4.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In North Carolina, that number is 3.4% as of 2025.
make 16.1% less money
Illinois has a GDP per capita of $70,691 as of 2024, while in North Carolina, the GDP per capita is $59,308 as of 2024.
Safety
be 23.8% more likely to be a victim of violent crime
Illinois has a violent crime rate of 306 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 379 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 17.7% more likely to be a victim of property crime
Illinois has a property crime rate of 1,697 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 1,998 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
earn 14.4% less money
The median household income in Illinois is $81,702 as of 2023, while in North Carolina, it is $69,904 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 3.0 minutes less
The average one-way commute in Illinois takes 28.1 minutes as of 2023. In North Carolina, it takes 25.1 minutes as of 2023.
be 41.2% more likely to be uninsured
In Illinois, 6.8% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 9.6% as of 2023.
be 11.8% less likely to have a bachelor's degree
In Illinois, 25.5% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 22.5% as of 2023.
be 29.4% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Illinois, 6.8% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In North Carolina, that number is 4.8% as of 2023.
be 19.1% more likely to be food insecure
In Illinois, 9.4% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In North Carolina, that number is 11.2% as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Feeding America, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
