The map above shows Iowa and Kentucky side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Kentucky Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Kentucky has 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 1.4 times (41%) larger than Kentucky's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 1.4 times (39%) larger than Kentucky's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km).
- Kentucky's north-south length is 1.2 times (19%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km).
- Kentucky's east-west width is 1.2 times (25%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Kentucky's is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m).
- Black Mountain is 2,465 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Kentucky's is Mississippi River at 270 feet.
- Kentucky's lowest point is 210 feet lower.
Iowa vs Kentucky Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Kentucky has 4,588,372 (2024).
- Kentucky's population is 1.4 times (42%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Kentucky: 116.2.
- Kentucky's population density is 2.0 times (100%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Kentucky's is Louisville with 640,796.
- Louisville's population is 3.0 times (201%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Kentucky's Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815).
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's population is 2.3 times (130%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 54 years.
Iowa vs Kentucky Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Kentucky's $295.4 billion.
- Kentucky's economic output is 1.1 times (11%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Kentucky: $64,375.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (27%) higher than Kentucky's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Kentucky: $58,256 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Kentucky's.
Iowa vs Kentucky Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Kentucky has 120.
- Kentucky's county count is 1.2 times (21%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Kentucky's is Pike County at 786 square miles.
- Kossuth County's land area is 1.2 times (24%) larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 3.9 times (287%) larger than Gallatin County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people).
- Jefferson County's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people).
- Adams County's population is 1.5 times (51%) larger than Robertson County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137).
- Mitchell County's income is 1.1 times (13%) richer than Oldham County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817).
- Decatur County's income is 1.4 times (45%) richer than Elliott County's.
Iowa vs Kentucky Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%.
- Iowa's top rate is 0.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Kentucky: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.58 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Kentucky: 6%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 0.94 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Kentucky official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Kentucky 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.