The map above shows Delaware and Iowa side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Delaware vs Iowa Geography
Land area
- Delaware has a land area of 1,949 square miles (5,047 km²), while Iowa has 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 28.7 times larger than Delaware's.
Total area
- Delaware: 2,489 square miles (6,446 km²) vs Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 22.6 times larger than Delaware's.
Length
- Delaware is 98 miles (158 km) long from north to south; Iowa is 216 miles (347 km).
- Iowa's north-south length is 2.2 times (120%) longer than Delaware's.
Width
- Delaware spans 96 miles (155 km) east to west; Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km).
- Iowa's east-west width is 3.5 times (249%) wider than Delaware's.
Highest point
- Delaware's highest point is Ebright Azimuth at 450 feet (137 m); Iowa's is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m).
- Hawkeye Point is 1,219 feet higher than Ebright Azimuth.
Lowest point
- Delaware's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Iowa's is Mississippi River at 480 feet.
- Delaware's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Delaware vs Iowa Population and History
Population
- Delaware has a population of 1,051,917 (2024), while Iowa has 3,241,488 (2024).
- Iowa's population is 3.1 times (208%) larger than Delaware's.
Population density
- Delaware: 539.9 people per square mile vs Iowa: 58.0.
- Delaware's population density is 9.3 times (831%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Delaware's biggest city is Wilmington with 73,176 people; Iowa's is Des Moines with 213,096.
- Des Moines' population is 2.9 times (191%) larger than Wilmington's.
Largest metro area
- Delaware's largest metropolitan area is Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (6,330,422 people) vs Iowa's Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010).
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area's population is 6.3 times (532%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Delaware: Admitted to the Union on December 7, 1787, as the 1st state.
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- In its current form, Delaware is the older of the two by 59 years.
Delaware vs Iowa Economy
GDP
- Delaware's GDP is $111.0 billion (2024) vs Iowa's $265.8 billion.
- Iowa's economic output is 2.4 times (139%) larger than Delaware's.
GDP per capita
- Delaware: $105,495 per person vs Iowa: $81,998.
- Delaware's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (29%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- Delaware: $68,061 vs Iowa: $65,225 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Delaware and Iowa have about the same average income.
Delaware vs Iowa Counties
Number of counties
- Delaware has 3 counties, while Iowa has 99.
- Iowa's county count is 33.0 times higher than Delaware's.
Biggest county by area
- Delaware's largest county is Sussex County at 936 square miles; Iowa's is Kossuth County at 973 square miles.
- Sussex County and Kossuth County have about the same land area.
Smallest county by area
- Delaware: New Castle County (426 sq mi) vs Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi).
- New Castle County's land area is 1.1 times (12%) larger than Dickinson County's.
Most populous county
- Delaware: New Castle County (588,093 people) vs Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people).
- New Castle County's population is 1.1 times (14%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Delaware: Kent County (192,690 people) vs Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people).
- Kent County's population is 53.4 times larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- Delaware: Sussex County ($73,647 per capita income) vs Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211).
- Mitchell County's income is 1.3 times (33%) richer than Sussex County's.
Poorest county
- Delaware: Kent County ($55,474 per capita income) vs Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134).
- Kent County's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Decatur County's.
Delaware vs Iowa Taxes
State income tax
- Delaware has a top income tax rate of 6.6%, while Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%.
- Delaware's top rate is 2.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Delaware: 0.47% effective rate vs Iowa: 1.29% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.82 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Delaware: 0% combined state and average local rate vs Iowa: 6.94%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 6.94 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Delaware official website · Iowa official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Delaware size comparisons · All Iowa 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.