The map above shows Kentucky and Michigan side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kentucky vs Michigan Geography
Land area
- Kentucky has a land area of 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²), while Michigan has 56,611 square miles (146,622 km²).
- Michigan's land area is 1.4 times (43%) larger than Kentucky's.
Total area
- Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²) vs Michigan: 96,713 square miles (250,486 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Michigan's total area is 2.4 times (139%) larger than Kentucky's.
Length
- Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km) long from north to south; Michigan is 489 miles (786 km).
- Michigan's north-south length is 1.9 times (90%) longer than Kentucky's.
Width
- Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km) east to west; Michigan spans 453 miles (728 km).
- Michigan's east-west width is 1.1 times (8%) wider than Kentucky's.
Highest point
- Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m); Michigan's is Mount Arvon at 2,014 feet (614 m).
- Black Mountain is 2,120 feet higher than Mount Arvon.
Lowest point
- Kentucky's lowest point is Mississippi River at 270 feet; Michigan's is Lake Erie at 571 feet.
- Kentucky's lowest point is 301 feet lower.
Kentucky vs Michigan Population and History
Population
- Kentucky has a population of 4,588,372 (2024), while Michigan has 10,140,459 (2024).
- Michigan's population is 2.2 times (121%) larger than Kentucky's.
Population density
- Kentucky: 116.2 people per square mile vs Michigan: 179.1.
- Michigan's population density is 1.5 times (54%) higher than Kentucky's.
Biggest city
- Kentucky's biggest city is Louisville with 640,796 people; Michigan's is Detroit with 645,705.
- Louisville and Detroit have about the same population.
Largest metro area
- Kentucky's largest metropolitan area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815 people) vs Michigan's Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (4,400,578).
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area's population is 1.9 times (91%) larger than Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's.
History
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- Michigan: Admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 45 years.
Kentucky vs Michigan Economy
GDP
- Kentucky's GDP is $295.4 billion (2024) vs Michigan's $702.5 billion.
- Michigan's economic output is 2.4 times (138%) larger than Kentucky's.
GDP per capita
- Kentucky: $64,375 per person vs Michigan: $69,274.
- Michigan's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (8%) higher than Kentucky's.
Average income
- Kentucky: $58,256 vs Michigan: $63,690 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Michigan's average income is 1.1 times (9%) higher than Kentucky's.
Kentucky vs Michigan Counties
Number of counties
- Kentucky has 120 counties, while Michigan has 83.
- Kentucky's county count is 1.4 times (45%) higher than Michigan's.
Biggest county by area
- Kentucky's largest county is Pike County at 786 square miles; Michigan's is Marquette County at 1,809 square miles.
- Marquette County's land area is 2.3 times (130%) larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi) vs Michigan: Benzie County (320 sq mi).
- Benzie County's land area is 3.3 times (225%) larger than Gallatin County's.
Most populous county
- Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people) vs Michigan: Wayne County (1,771,063 people).
- Wayne County's population is 2.2 times (123%) larger than Jefferson County's.
Least populous county
- Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people) vs Michigan: Keweenaw County (2,161 people).
- Robertson County's population is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Keweenaw County's.
Richest county
- Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137 per capita income) vs Michigan: Oakland County ($93,579).
- Oakland County's income is 1.1 times (7%) richer than Oldham County's.
Poorest county
- Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817 per capita income) vs Michigan: Lake County ($39,505).
- Lake County's income is 1.2 times (24%) richer than Elliott County's.
Kentucky vs Michigan Taxes
State income tax
- Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%, while Michigan has a top income tax rate of 4.25%.
- Michigan's top rate is 0.75 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Kentucky: 0.71% effective rate vs Michigan: 1.18% of home value per year.
- Michigan's rate is 0.47 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Kentucky: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Michigan: 6%.
- The two are essentially equal.
Official Websites
Kentucky official website · Michigan official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Kentucky size comparisons · All Michigan 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.