The map above shows New Jersey and Rhode Island side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
New Jersey vs Rhode Island Geography
Land area: New Jersey has a land area of 7,355 square miles (19,049 km²), while Rhode Island has 1,034 square miles (2,678 km²). New Jersey's land area is 7.1 times (611%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Total area: New Jersey: 8,719 square miles (22,583 km²) vs Rhode Island: 1,545 square miles (4,002 km²), including inland and coastal water. New Jersey's total area is 5.6 times (464%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Length: New Jersey is 169 miles (271 km) long from north to south; Rhode Island is 61 miles (98 km). New Jersey's north-south length is 2.8 times (177%) longer than Rhode Island's.
Width: New Jersey spans 129 miles (207 km) east to west; Rhode Island spans 42 miles (67 km). New Jersey's east-west width is 3.1 times (207%) wider than Rhode Island's.
Highest point: New Jersey's highest point is High Point at 1,798 feet (548 m); Rhode Island's is Jerimoth Hill at 811 feet (247 m). High Point is 987 feet higher than Jerimoth Hill.
Lowest point: New Jersey's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Rhode Island's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
New Jersey vs Rhode Island Population and History
Population: New Jersey has a population of 9,500,851 (2024), while Rhode Island has 1,112,308 (2024). New Jersey's population is 8.5 times (754%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Population density: New Jersey: 1,291.8 people per square mile vs Rhode Island: 1,075.8. New Jersey's population density is 1.2 times (20%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Biggest city: New Jersey's biggest city is Newark with 317,303 people; Rhode Island's is Providence with 194,706. Newark's population is 1.6 times (63%) larger than Providence's.
Largest metro area: New Jersey's largest metropolitan area is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (19,940,274 people) vs Rhode Island's Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (1,700,901). New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area's population is 11.7 times larger than Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area's.
History: New Jersey: Admitted to the Union on December 18, 1787, as the 3rd state. Rhode Island: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1790, as the 13th state. In its current form, New Jersey is the older of the two by 3 years.
New Jersey vs Rhode Island Economy
GDP: New Jersey's GDP is $846.0 billion (2024) vs Rhode Island's $80.4 billion. New Jersey's economic output is 10.5 times larger than Rhode Island's.
GDP per capita: New Jersey: $89,045 per person vs Rhode Island: $72,265. New Jersey's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (23%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Average income: New Jersey: $84,893 vs Rhode Island: $70,622 average income per person (per capita personal income). New Jersey's average income is 1.2 times (20%) higher than Rhode Island's.
New Jersey vs Rhode Island Counties
Number of counties: New Jersey has 21 counties, while Rhode Island has 5. New Jersey's county count is 4.2 times (320%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Biggest county by area: New Jersey's largest county is Burlington County at 799 square miles; Rhode Island's is Providence County at 410 square miles. Burlington County's land area is 2.0 times (95%) larger than Providence County's.
Smallest county by area: New Jersey: Hudson County (46 sq mi) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County (24 sq mi). Hudson County's land area is 1.9 times (92%) larger than Bristol County's.
Most populous county: New Jersey: Bergen County (978,641 people) vs Rhode Island: Providence County (675,912 people). Bergen County's population is 1.4 times (45%) larger than Providence County's.
Least populous county: New Jersey: Salem County (65,874 people) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County (50,145 people). Salem County's population is 1.3 times (31%) larger than Bristol County's.
Richest county: New Jersey: Somerset County ($121,042 per capita income) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County ($99,923). Somerset County's income is 1.2 times (21%) richer than Bristol County's.
Poorest county: New Jersey: Cumberland County ($50,843 per capita income) vs Rhode Island: Providence County ($61,040). Providence County's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Cumberland County's.
New Jersey vs Rhode Island Taxes
State income tax: New Jersey has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while Rhode Island has a top income tax rate of 5.99%. New Jersey's top rate is 4.76 percentage points higher.
Property tax: New Jersey: 1.89% effective rate vs Rhode Island: 1.07% of home value per year. New Jersey's rate is 0.82 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: New Jersey: 6.6% combined state and average local rate vs Rhode Island: 7%. Rhode Island's combined rate is 0.4 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
New Jersey official website · Rhode Island official website
More Size Comparisons
All New Jersey size comparisons · All Rhode Island 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.