The map above shows Iowa and Michigan side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Michigan Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Michigan has 56,611 square miles (146,622 km²).
- Iowa and Michigan have about the same land area.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Michigan: 96,713 square miles (250,486 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Michigan's total area is 1.7 times (72%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Michigan is 489 miles (786 km).
- Michigan's north-south length is 2.3 times (126%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Michigan spans 453 miles (728 km).
- Michigan's east-west width is 1.4 times (35%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Michigan's is Mount Arvon at 2,014 feet (614 m).
- Mount Arvon is 345 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Michigan's is Lake Erie at 571 feet.
- Iowa's lowest point is 91 feet lower.
Iowa vs Michigan Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Michigan has 10,140,459 (2024).
- Michigan's population is 3.1 times (213%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Michigan: 179.1.
- Michigan's population density is 3.1 times (209%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Michigan's is Detroit with 645,705.
- Detroit's population is 3.0 times (203%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Michigan's Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (4,400,578).
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area's population is 4.4 times (340%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Michigan: Admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state.
- In its current form, Michigan is the older of the two by 9 years.
Iowa vs Michigan Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Michigan's $702.5 billion.
- Michigan's economic output is 2.6 times (164%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Michigan: $69,274.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (18%) higher than Michigan's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Michigan: $63,690 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa and Michigan have about the same average income.
Iowa vs Michigan Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Michigan has 83.
- Iowa's county count is 1.2 times (19%) higher than Michigan's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Michigan's is Marquette County at 1,809 square miles.
- Marquette County's land area is 1.9 times (86%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Michigan: Benzie County (320 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Benzie County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Michigan: Wayne County (1,771,063 people).
- Wayne County's population is 3.4 times (243%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Michigan: Keweenaw County (2,161 people).
- Adams County's population is 1.7 times (67%) larger than Keweenaw County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Michigan: Oakland County ($93,579).
- Mitchell County's income is 1.0 times (5%) richer than Oakland County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Michigan: Lake County ($39,505).
- Decatur County's income is 1.2 times (17%) richer than Lake County's.
Iowa vs Michigan Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Michigan has a top income tax rate of 4.25%.
- Michigan's top rate is 0.45 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Michigan: 1.18% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.11 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Michigan: 6%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 0.94 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Michigan official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Michigan 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.