The map above shows Iowa and Minnesota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Minnesota Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Minnesota has 79,632 square miles (206,245 km²).
- Minnesota's land area is 1.4 times (43%) larger than Iowa's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Minnesota: 86,943 square miles (225,182 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Minnesota's total area is 1.5 times (55%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Minnesota is 408 miles (657 km).
- Minnesota's north-south length is 1.9 times (89%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Minnesota spans 360 miles (580 km).
- Minnesota's east-west width is 1.1 times (7%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Minnesota's is Eagle Mountain at 2,292 feet (699 m).
- Eagle Mountain is 623 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Minnesota's is Lake Superior at 601 feet.
- Iowa's lowest point is 121 feet lower.
Iowa vs Minnesota Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Minnesota has 5,793,151 (2024).
- Minnesota's population is 1.8 times (79%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Minnesota: 72.7.
- Minnesota's population density is 1.3 times (25%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Minnesota's is Minneapolis with 428,579.
- Minneapolis' population is 2.0 times (101%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 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 3.8 times (275%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Minnesota: Admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state.
- In its current form, Iowa is the older of the two by 12 years.
Iowa vs Minnesota Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Minnesota's $507.7 billion.
- Minnesota's economic output is 1.9 times (91%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Minnesota: $87,636.
- Minnesota's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (7%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Minnesota: $75,603 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Minnesota's average income is 1.2 times (16%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs Minnesota Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Minnesota has 87.
- Iowa's county count is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Minnesota's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Minnesota's is St. Louis County at 6,248 square miles.
- St. Louis County's land area is 6.4 times (542%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Minnesota: Ramsey County (152 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 2.5 times (150%) larger than Ramsey County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Minnesota: Hennepin County (1,273,334 people).
- Hennepin County's population is 2.5 times (147%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Minnesota: Traverse County (3,134 people).
- Adams County's population is 1.2 times (15%) larger than Traverse County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Minnesota: Hennepin County ($100,352).
- Mitchell County and Hennepin County have about the same income.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Minnesota: Pine County ($48,677).
- Pine County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Decatur County's.
Iowa vs Minnesota Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Minnesota has a top income tax rate of 9.85%.
- Minnesota's top rate is 6.05 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Minnesota: 1.02% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.27 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Minnesota: 8.14%.
- Minnesota's combined rate is 1.2 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Minnesota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa 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.