The map above shows Alaska and Colorado side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alaska vs Colorado Geography
Land area
- Alaska has a land area of 571,242 square miles (1,479,509 km²), while Colorado has 103,637 square miles (268,419 km²).
- Alaska's land area is 5.5 times (451%) larger than Colorado's.
Total area
- Alaska: 665,725 square miles (1,724,220 km²) vs Colorado: 104,095 square miles (269,605 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alaska's total area is 6.4 times (540%) larger than Colorado's.
Length
- Alaska is 1,201 miles (1,933 km) long from north to south; Colorado is 467 miles (751 km).
- Alaska's north-south length is 2.6 times (157%) longer than Colorado's.
Width
- Alaska spans 1,544 miles (2,485 km) east to west; Colorado spans 387 miles (622 km).
- Alaska's east-west width is 4.0 times (299%) wider than Colorado's.
Highest point
- Alaska's highest point is Denali at 20,235 feet (6,168 m); Colorado's is Mount Elbert at 14,422 feet (4,396 m).
- Denali is 5,813 feet higher than Mount Elbert.
Lowest point
- Alaska's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; Colorado's is Arikaree River at 3,326 feet.
- Alaska's lowest point is 3,326 feet lower.
Alaska vs Colorado Population and History
Population
- Alaska has a population of 740,133 (2024), while Colorado has 5,957,493 (2024).
- Colorado's population is 8.0 times (705%) larger than Alaska's.
Population density
- Alaska: 1.3 people per square mile vs Colorado: 57.5.
- Colorado's population density is 44.2 times higher than Alaska's.
Biggest city
- Alaska's biggest city is Anchorage with 289,600 people; Colorado's is Denver with 729,019.
- Denver's population is 2.5 times (152%) larger than Anchorage's.
Largest metro area
- Alaska's largest metropolitan area is Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 people) vs Colorado's Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (3,052,498).
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area's population is 7.5 times (650%) larger than Anchorage, AK metro area's.
History
- Alaska: Admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959, as the 49th state.
- Colorado: Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, as the 38th state.
- In its current form, Colorado is the older of the two by 83 years.
Alaska vs Colorado Economy
GDP
- Alaska's GDP is $71.6 billion (2024) vs Colorado's $557.6 billion.
- Colorado's economic output is 7.8 times (679%) larger than Alaska's.
GDP per capita
- Alaska: $96,695 per person vs Colorado: $93,602.
- Alaska and Colorado have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income
- Alaska: $76,234 vs Colorado: $83,055 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Colorado's average income is 1.1 times (9%) higher than Alaska's.
Alaska vs Colorado Counties
Number of counties
- Alaska has 30 counties, while Colorado has 64.
- Colorado's county count is 2.1 times (113%) higher than Alaska's.
Biggest county by area
- Alaska's largest county is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area at 145,769 square miles; Colorado's is Las Animas County at 4,773 square miles.
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area's land area is 30.5 times larger than Las Animas County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alaska: Skagway Municipality (443 sq mi) vs Colorado: Broomfield County (33 sq mi).
- Skagway Municipality's land area is 13.4 times larger than Broomfield County's.
Most populous county
- Alaska: Anchorage Municipality (289,600 people) vs Colorado: El Paso County (752,772 people).
- El Paso County's population is 2.6 times (160%) larger than Anchorage Municipality's.
Least populous county
- Alaska: Yakutat City and Borough (690 people) vs Colorado: Hinsdale County (747 people).
- Hinsdale County's population is 1.1 times (8%) larger than Yakutat City and Borough's.
Richest county
- Alaska: Bristol Bay Borough ($158,406 per capita income) vs Colorado: Pitkin County ($275,044).
- Pitkin County's income is 1.7 times (74%) richer than Bristol Bay Borough's.
Poorest county
- Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area ($37,765 per capita income) vs Colorado: Crowley County ($27,232).
- Kusilvak Census Area's income is 1.4 times (39%) richer than Crowley County's.
Alaska vs Colorado Taxes
State income tax
- Alaska has no state income tax, while Colorado has a top income tax rate of 4.4%.
- Colorado's top rate is 4.4 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alaska: 1.06% effective rate vs Colorado: 0.49% of home value per year.
- Alaska's rate is 0.57 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alaska: 1.82% combined state and average local rate vs Colorado: 7.89%.
- Colorado's combined rate is 6.07 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alaska official website · Colorado official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alaska size comparisons · All Colorado 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.