The map above shows Iowa and Mississippi side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Mississippi Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Mississippi has 46,925 square miles (121,534 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Mississippi's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Mississippi: 48,436 square miles (125,448 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 1.2 times (16%) larger than Mississippi's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Mississippi is 337 miles (542 km).
- Mississippi's north-south length is 1.6 times (56%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Mississippi spans 340 miles (547 km).
- Iowa and Mississippi have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Mississippi's is Woodall Mountain at 805 feet (245 m).
- Hawkeye Point is 864 feet higher than Woodall Mountain.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Mississippi's is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet.
- Mississippi's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Iowa vs Mississippi Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Mississippi has 2,943,045 (2024).
- Iowa's population is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Mississippi's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Mississippi: 62.7.
- Mississippi's population density is 1.1 times (8%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Mississippi's is Jackson with 141,449.
- Des Moines' population is 1.5 times (51%) larger than Jackson's.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Mississippi's Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (1,339,345).
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area's population is 1.3 times (34%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Mississippi: Admitted to the Union on December 10, 1817, as the 20th state.
- In its current form, Mississippi is the older of the two by 29 years.
Iowa vs Mississippi Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Mississippi's $158.2 billion.
- Iowa's economic output is 1.7 times (68%) larger than Mississippi's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Mississippi: $53,751.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.5 times (53%) higher than Mississippi's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Mississippi: $52,074 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa's average income is 1.3 times (25%) higher than Mississippi's.
Iowa vs Mississippi Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Mississippi has 82.
- Iowa's county count is 1.2 times (21%) higher than Mississippi's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Mississippi's is Yazoo County at 922 square miles.
- Kossuth County's land area is 1.1 times (5%) larger than Yazoo County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Mississippi: Alcorn County (400 sq mi).
- Alcorn County's land area is 1.1 times (5%) larger than Dickinson County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Mississippi: Harrison County (213,730 people).
- Polk County's population is 2.4 times (142%) larger than Harrison County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Mississippi: Issaquena County (1,295 people).
- Adams County's population is 2.8 times (178%) larger than Issaquena County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Mississippi: Madison County ($90,668).
- Mitchell County's income is 1.1 times (8%) richer than Madison County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Mississippi: Issaquena County ($27,264).
- Decatur County's income is 1.7 times (69%) richer than Issaquena County's.
Iowa vs Mississippi Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Mississippi has a top income tax rate of 4%.
- Mississippi's top rate is 0.2 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Mississippi: 0.65% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.64 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Mississippi: 7.06%.
- Mississippi's combined rate is 0.12 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Mississippi official website
Download the Iowa vs Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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.