The map above shows Iowa and Massachusetts side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Massachusetts Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Massachusetts has 7,801 square miles (20,204 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 7.2 times (616%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Massachusetts: 10,554 square miles (27,335 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 5.3 times (433%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Massachusetts is 123 miles (198 km).
- Iowa's north-south length is 1.8 times (76%) longer than Massachusetts'.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Massachusetts spans 185 miles (297 km).
- Iowa's east-west width is 1.8 times (81%) wider than Massachusetts'.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Massachusetts's is Mount Greylock at 3,489 feet (1,063 m).
- Mount Greylock is 1,820 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Massachusetts's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Massachusetts's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Iowa vs Massachusetts Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Massachusetts has 7,136,171 (2024).
- Massachusetts' population is 2.2 times (120%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Massachusetts: 914.8.
- Massachusetts' population density is 15.8 times higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Massachusetts's is Boston with 673,458.
- Boston's population is 3.2 times (216%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Massachusetts's Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517).
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area's population is 5.0 times (402%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Massachusetts: Admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788, as the 6th state.
- In its current form, Massachusetts is the older of the two by 58 years.
Iowa vs Massachusetts Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Massachusetts's $778.5 billion.
- Massachusetts' economic output is 2.9 times (193%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Massachusetts: $109,095.
- Massachusetts' GDP per capita is 1.3 times (33%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Massachusetts: $93,607 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Massachusetts' average income is 1.4 times (44%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs Massachusetts Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Massachusetts has 14.
- Iowa's county count is 7.1 times (607%) higher than Massachusetts'.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Massachusetts's is Worcester County at 1,511 square miles.
- Worcester County's land area is 1.6 times (55%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County (46 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 8.2 times (724%) larger than Nantucket County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Massachusetts: Middlesex County (1,668,956 people).
- Middlesex County's population is 3.2 times (223%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County (14,670 people).
- Nantucket County's population is 4.1 times (307%) larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County ($129,250).
- Nantucket County's income is 1.3 times (32%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Massachusetts: Hampshire County ($65,432).
- Hampshire County's income is 1.4 times (42%) richer than Decatur County's.
Iowa vs Massachusetts Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Massachusetts has a top income tax rate of 9%.
- Massachusetts's top rate is 5.2 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Massachusetts: 1% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.29 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Massachusetts: 6.25%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 0.69 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Massachusetts official website
Download the Iowa vs Massachusetts 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 Iowa size comparisons · All Massachusetts 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.