The map above shows Alabama and Iowa side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alabama vs Iowa Geography
Land area
- Alabama has a land area of 50,651 square miles (131,185 km²), while Iowa has 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Alabama's.
Total area
- Alabama: 52,420 square miles (135,767 km²) vs Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 1.1 times (7%) larger than Alabama's.
Length
- Alabama is 331 miles (532 km) long from north to south; Iowa is 216 miles (347 km).
- Alabama's north-south length is 1.5 times (53%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Alabama spans 212 miles (341 km) east to west; Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km).
- Iowa's east-west width is 1.6 times (58%) wider than Alabama's.
Highest point
- Alabama's highest point is Cheaha Mountain at 2,405 feet (733 m); Iowa's is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m).
- Cheaha Mountain is 736 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Alabama's lowest point is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet; Iowa's is Mississippi River at 480 feet.
- Alabama's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Alabama vs Iowa Population and History
Population
- Alabama has a population of 5,157,699 (2024), while Iowa has 3,241,488 (2024).
- Alabama's population is 1.6 times (59%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Alabama: 101.8 people per square mile vs Iowa: 58.0.
- Alabama's population density is 1.8 times (76%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Alabama's biggest city is Huntsville with 230,402 people; Iowa's is Des Moines with 213,096.
- Huntsville's population is 1.1 times (8%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Alabama's largest metropolitan area is Birmingham, AL metro area (1,192,583 people) vs Iowa's Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010).
- Birmingham, AL metro area's population is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Alabama: Admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819, as the 22nd state.
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- In its current form, Alabama is the older of the two by 27 years.
Alabama vs Iowa Economy
GDP
- Alabama's GDP is $325.3 billion (2024) vs Iowa's $265.8 billion.
- Alabama's economic output is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Alabama: $63,080 per person vs Iowa: $81,998.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (30%) higher than Alabama's.
Average income
- Alabama: $57,311 vs Iowa: $65,225 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa's average income is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Alabama's.
Alabama vs Iowa Counties
Number of counties
- Alabama has 67 counties, while Iowa has 99.
- Iowa's county count is 1.5 times (48%) higher than Alabama's.
Biggest county by area
- Alabama's largest county is Baldwin County at 1,590 square miles; Iowa's is Kossuth County at 973 square miles.
- Baldwin County's land area is 1.6 times (63%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alabama: Etowah County (535 sq mi) vs Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi).
- Etowah County's land area is 1.4 times (41%) larger than Dickinson County's.
Most populous county
- Alabama: Jefferson County (664,744 people) vs Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people).
- Jefferson County's population is 1.3 times (29%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Alabama: Greene County (7,127 people) vs Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people).
- Greene County's population is 2.0 times (98%) larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- Alabama: Jefferson County ($75,312 per capita income) vs Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211).
- Mitchell County's income is 1.3 times (30%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Alabama: Bullock County ($39,403 per capita income) vs Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134).
- Decatur County's income is 1.2 times (17%) richer than Bullock County's.
Alabama vs Iowa Taxes
State income tax
- Alabama has a top income tax rate of 5%, while Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%.
- Alabama's top rate is 1.2 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alabama: 0.38% effective rate vs Iowa: 1.29% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.91 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alabama: 9.46% combined state and average local rate vs Iowa: 6.94%.
- Alabama's combined rate is 2.52 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alabama official website · Iowa official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alabama 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.