The map above shows District of Columbia and Iowa side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
District of Columbia vs Iowa Geography
Land area
- District of Columbia has a land area of 61 square miles (158 km²), while Iowa has 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 915.6 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Total area
- District of Columbia: 68 square miles (177 km²) vs Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 823.4 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Length
- District of Columbia is 13 miles (22 km) long from north to south; Iowa is 216 miles (347 km).
- Iowa's north-south length is 16.6 times longer than District of Columbia's.
Width
- District of Columbia spans 12 miles (19 km) east to west; Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km).
- Iowa's east-west width is 27.9 times wider than District of Columbia's.
Highest point
- District of Columbia's highest point is Fort Reno at 429 feet (131 m); Iowa's is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m).
- Hawkeye Point is 1,240 feet higher than Fort Reno.
Lowest point
- District of Columbia's lowest point is Potomac River at 0 feet; Iowa's is Mississippi River at 480 feet.
- District of Columbia's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
District of Columbia vs Iowa Population and History
Population
- District of Columbia has a population of 702,250 (2024), while Iowa has 3,241,488 (2024).
- Iowa's population is 4.6 times (362%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Population density
- District of Columbia: 11,493.5 people per square mile vs Iowa: 58.0.
- District of Columbia's population density is 198.2 times higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- District of Columbia's biggest city is Washington with 702,250 people; Iowa's is Des Moines with 213,096.
- Washington's population is 3.3 times (230%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- District of Columbia's largest metropolitan area is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489 people) vs Iowa's Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's population is 6.4 times (543%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- District of Columbia: The federal district, established by the Residence Act on July 16, 1790; not a state.
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- In its current form, District of Columbia is the older of the two by 56 years.
District of Columbia vs Iowa Economy
GDP
- District of Columbia's GDP is $184.3 billion (2024) vs Iowa's $265.8 billion.
- Iowa's economic output is 1.4 times (44%) larger than District of Columbia's.
GDP per capita
- District of Columbia: $262,439 per person vs Iowa: $81,998.
- District of Columbia's GDP per capita is 3.2 times (220%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- District of Columbia: $111,185 vs Iowa: $65,225 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- District of Columbia's average income is 1.7 times (70%) higher than Iowa's.
District of Columbia vs Iowa Counties
Number of counties
- District of Columbia has 1 counties, while Iowa has 99.
- Iowa's county count is 99.0 times higher than District of Columbia's.
Biggest county by area
- District of Columbia's largest county is District of Columbia at 61 square miles; Iowa's is Kossuth County at 973 square miles.
- Kossuth County's land area is 15.9 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Smallest county by area
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (61 sq mi) vs Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 6.2 times (523%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Most populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people).
- District of Columbia's population is 1.4 times (36%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people).
- District of Columbia's population is 194.7 times larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211).
- District of Columbia's income is 1.1 times (13%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134).
- District of Columbia's income is 2.4 times (141%) richer than Decatur County's.
District of Columbia vs Iowa Taxes
State income tax
- District of Columbia has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%.
- District of Columbia's top rate is 6.95 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- District of Columbia: 0.63% effective rate vs Iowa: 1.29% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.66 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- District of Columbia: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Iowa: 6.94%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 0.94 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
District of Columbia official website · Iowa official website
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More Size Comparisons
All District of Columbia 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.