The map above shows Iowa and Louisiana side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Louisiana Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Louisiana has 43,213 square miles (111,921 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 1.3 times (29%) larger than Louisiana's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Louisiana: 52,375 square miles (135,652 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 1.1 times (7%) larger than Louisiana's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Louisiana is 301 miles (484 km).
- Louisiana's north-south length is 1.4 times (39%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Louisiana spans 356 miles (574 km).
- Louisiana's east-west width is 1.1 times (6%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Louisiana's is Driskill Mountain at 533 feet (162 m).
- Hawkeye Point is 1,136 feet higher than Driskill Mountain.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Louisiana's is New Orleans at -8 feet.
- Louisiana's lowest point is 488 feet lower.
Iowa vs Louisiana Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Louisiana has 4,597,740 (2024).
- Louisiana's population is 1.4 times (42%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Louisiana: 106.4.
- Louisiana's population density is 1.8 times (83%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Louisiana's is New Orleans with 362,701.
- New Orleans' population is 1.7 times (70%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Louisiana's New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area (966,230).
- Omaha, NE-IA metro area and New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area have about the same population.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Louisiana: Admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812, as the 18th state.
- In its current form, Louisiana is the older of the two by 34 years.
Iowa vs Louisiana Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Louisiana's $329.2 billion.
- Louisiana's economic output is 1.2 times (24%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Louisiana: $71,594.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (15%) higher than Louisiana's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Louisiana: $61,897 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa's average income is 1.1 times (5%) higher than Louisiana's.
Iowa vs Louisiana Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Louisiana has 64.
- Iowa's county count is 1.5 times (55%) higher than Louisiana's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Louisiana's is Vernon Parish at 1,327 square miles.
- Vernon Parish's land area is 1.4 times (36%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Louisiana: Orleans Parish (170 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 2.2 times (124%) larger than Orleans Parish's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Louisiana: East Baton Rouge Parish (453,022 people).
- Polk County's population is 1.1 times (14%) larger than East Baton Rouge Parish's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Louisiana: Tensas Parish (3,844 people).
- Tensas Parish's population is 1.1 times (7%) larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Louisiana: St. Tammany Parish ($82,398).
- Mitchell County's income is 1.2 times (19%) richer than St. Tammany Parish's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Louisiana: East Carroll Parish ($36,751).
- Decatur County's income is 1.3 times (26%) richer than East Carroll Parish's.
Iowa vs Louisiana Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Louisiana has a top income tax rate of 3%.
- Iowa's top rate is 0.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Louisiana: 0.53% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.76 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Louisiana: 10.13%.
- Louisiana's combined rate is 3.19 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Louisiana official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Louisiana 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.