The map above shows Colorado and Iowa side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Colorado vs Iowa Geography
Land area
- Colorado has a land area of 103,637 square miles (268,419 km²), while Iowa has 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²).
- Colorado's land area is 1.9 times (86%) larger than Iowa's.
Total area
- Colorado: 104,095 square miles (269,605 km²) vs Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Colorado's total area is 1.8 times (85%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Colorado is 467 miles (751 km) long from north to south; Iowa is 216 miles (347 km).
- Colorado's north-south length is 2.2 times (116%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Colorado spans 387 miles (622 km) east to west; Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km).
- Colorado's east-west width is 1.2 times (16%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Colorado's highest point is Mount Elbert at 14,422 feet (4,396 m); Iowa's is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m).
- Mount Elbert is 12,753 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Colorado's lowest point is Arikaree River at 3,326 feet; Iowa's is Mississippi River at 480 feet.
- Iowa's lowest point is 2,846 feet lower.
Colorado vs Iowa Population and History
Population
- Colorado has a population of 5,957,493 (2024), while Iowa has 3,241,488 (2024).
- Colorado's population is 1.8 times (84%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Colorado: 57.5 people per square mile vs Iowa: 58.0.
- Colorado and Iowa have about the same population density.
Biggest city
- Colorado's biggest city is Denver with 729,019 people; Iowa's is Des Moines with 213,096.
- Denver's population is 3.4 times (242%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Colorado's largest metropolitan area is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (3,052,498 people) vs Iowa's Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010).
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area's population is 3.0 times (205%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Colorado: Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, as the 38th state.
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- In its current form, Iowa is the older of the two by 30 years.
Colorado vs Iowa Economy
GDP
- Colorado's GDP is $557.6 billion (2024) vs Iowa's $265.8 billion.
- Colorado's economic output is 2.1 times (110%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Colorado: $93,602 per person vs Iowa: $81,998.
- Colorado's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- Colorado: $83,055 vs Iowa: $65,225 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Colorado's average income is 1.3 times (27%) higher than Iowa's.
Colorado vs Iowa Counties
Number of counties
- Colorado has 64 counties, while Iowa has 99.
- Iowa's county count is 1.5 times (55%) higher than Colorado's.
Biggest county by area
- Colorado's largest county is Las Animas County at 4,773 square miles; Iowa's is Kossuth County at 973 square miles.
- Las Animas County's land area is 4.9 times (391%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Colorado: Broomfield County (33 sq mi) vs Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 11.5 times larger than Broomfield County's.
Most populous county
- Colorado: El Paso County (752,772 people) vs Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people).
- El Paso County's population is 1.5 times (46%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Colorado: Hinsdale County (747 people) vs Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people).
- Adams County's population is 4.8 times (383%) larger than Hinsdale County's.
Richest county
- Colorado: Pitkin County ($275,044 per capita income) vs Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211).
- Pitkin County's income is 2.8 times (180%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Colorado: Crowley County ($27,232 per capita income) vs Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134).
- Decatur County's income is 1.7 times (69%) richer than Crowley County's.
Colorado vs Iowa Taxes
State income tax
- Colorado has a top income tax rate of 4.4%, while Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%.
- Colorado's top rate is 0.6 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Colorado: 0.49% effective rate vs Iowa: 1.29% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.8 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Colorado: 7.89% combined state and average local rate vs Iowa: 6.94%.
- Colorado's combined rate is 0.95 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Colorado official website · Iowa official website
Download the Colorado vs Iowa Size Comparison Map for free
To download the map, right-click the image above (or press and hold on a phone or tablet) and choose Save image as. The map is free to use anywhere, including on your own website or in print, as long as you credit it with a link back to this page or to BrilliantMaps.com.
More Size Comparisons
All Colorado 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.