The map above shows Colorado and Minnesota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Colorado vs Minnesota Geography
Land area: Colorado has a land area of 103,637 square miles (268,419 km²), while Minnesota has 79,632 square miles (206,245 km²). Colorado's land area is 1.3 times (30%) larger than Minnesota's.
Total area: Colorado: 104,095 square miles (269,605 km²) vs Minnesota: 86,943 square miles (225,182 km²), including inland and coastal water. Colorado's total area is 1.2 times (20%) larger than Minnesota's.
Length: Colorado is 467 miles (751 km) long from north to south; Minnesota is 408 miles (657 km). Colorado's north-south length is 1.1 times (14%) longer than Minnesota's.
Width: Colorado spans 387 miles (622 km) east to west; Minnesota spans 360 miles (580 km). Colorado's east-west width is 1.1 times (8%) wider than Minnesota's.
Highest point: Colorado's highest point is Mount Elbert at 14,422 feet (4,396 m); Minnesota's is Eagle Mountain at 2,292 feet (699 m). Mount Elbert is 12,130 feet higher than Eagle Mountain.
Lowest point: Colorado's lowest point is Arikaree River at 3,326 feet; Minnesota's is Lake Superior at 601 feet. Minnesota's lowest point is 2,725 feet lower.
Colorado vs Minnesota Population and History
Population: Colorado has a population of 5,957,493 (2024), while Minnesota has 5,793,151 (2024). Colorado and Minnesota have about the same population.
Population density: Colorado: 57.5 people per square mile vs Minnesota: 72.7. Minnesota's population density is 1.3 times (26%) higher than Colorado's.
Biggest city: Colorado's biggest city is Denver with 729,019 people; Minnesota's is Minneapolis with 428,579. Denver's population is 1.7 times (70%) larger than Minneapolis'.
Largest metro area: Colorado's largest metropolitan area is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (3,052,498 people) vs Minnesota's Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952). Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area's population is 1.2 times (23%) larger than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area's.
History: Colorado: Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, as the 38th state. Minnesota: Admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state. In its current form, Minnesota is the older of the two by 18 years.
Colorado vs Minnesota Economy
GDP: Colorado's GDP is $557.6 billion (2024) vs Minnesota's $507.7 billion. Colorado's economic output is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Minnesota's.
GDP per capita: Colorado: $93,602 per person vs Minnesota: $87,636. Colorado's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (7%) higher than Minnesota's.
Average income: Colorado: $83,055 vs Minnesota: $75,603 average income per person (per capita personal income). Colorado's average income is 1.1 times (10%) higher than Minnesota's.
Colorado vs Minnesota Counties
Number of counties: Colorado has 64 counties, while Minnesota has 87. Minnesota's county count is 1.4 times (36%) higher than Colorado's.
Biggest county by area: Colorado's largest county is Las Animas County at 4,773 square miles; Minnesota's is St. Louis County at 6,248 square miles. St. Louis County's land area is 1.3 times (31%) larger than Las Animas County's.
Smallest county by area: Colorado: Broomfield County (33 sq mi) vs Minnesota: Ramsey County (152 sq mi). Ramsey County's land area is 4.6 times (362%) larger than Broomfield County's.
Most populous county: Colorado: El Paso County (752,772 people) vs Minnesota: Hennepin County (1,273,334 people). Hennepin County's population is 1.7 times (69%) larger than El Paso County's.
Least populous county: Colorado: Hinsdale County (747 people) vs Minnesota: Traverse County (3,134 people). Traverse County's population is 4.2 times (320%) larger than Hinsdale County's.
Richest county: Colorado: Pitkin County ($275,044 per capita income) vs Minnesota: Hennepin County ($100,352). Pitkin County's income is 2.7 times (174%) richer than Hennepin County's.
Poorest county: Colorado: Crowley County ($27,232 per capita income) vs Minnesota: Pine County ($48,677). Pine County's income is 1.8 times (79%) richer than Crowley County's.
Colorado vs Minnesota Taxes
State income tax: Colorado has a top income tax rate of 4.4%, while Minnesota has a top income tax rate of 9.85%. Minnesota's top rate is 5.45 percentage points higher.
Property tax: Colorado: 0.49% effective rate vs Minnesota: 1.02% of home value per year. Minnesota's rate is 0.53 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: Colorado: 7.89% combined state and average local rate vs Minnesota: 8.14%. Minnesota's combined rate is 0.25 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Colorado official website · Minnesota official website
More Size Comparisons
All Colorado size comparisons · All Minnesota 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.