The map above shows Iowa and Missouri side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Missouri Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Missouri has 68,746 square miles (178,052 km²).
- Missouri's land area is 1.2 times (23%) larger than Iowa's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Missouri: 69,707 square miles (180,540 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Missouri's total area is 1.2 times (24%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Missouri is 328 miles (529 km).
- Missouri's north-south length is 1.5 times (52%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Missouri spans 437 miles (703 km).
- Missouri's east-west width is 1.3 times (30%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Missouri's is Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,771 feet (540 m).
- Taum Sauk Mountain is 102 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Missouri's is St. Francis River at 230 feet.
- Missouri's lowest point is 250 feet lower.
Iowa vs Missouri Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Missouri has 6,245,466 (2024).
- Missouri's population is 1.9 times (93%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Missouri: 90.8.
- Missouri's population density is 1.6 times (57%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Missouri's is Kansas City with 516,032.
- Kansas City's population is 2.4 times (142%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Missouri's St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (2,811,927).
- St. Louis, MO-IL metro area's population is 2.8 times (181%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Missouri: Admitted to the Union on August 10, 1821, as the 24th state.
- In its current form, Missouri is the older of the two by 25 years.
Iowa vs Missouri Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Missouri's $448.7 billion.
- Missouri's economic output is 1.7 times (69%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Missouri: $71,846.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Missouri's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Missouri: $64,920 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa and Missouri have about the same average income.
Iowa vs Missouri Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Missouri has 115.
- Missouri's county count is 1.2 times (16%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Missouri's is Texas County at 1,177 square miles.
- Texas County's land area is 1.2 times (21%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Missouri: St. Louis city (62 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 6.2 times (517%) larger than St. Louis city's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Missouri: St. Louis County (992,929 people).
- St. Louis County's population is 1.9 times (92%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Missouri: Worth County (1,872 people).
- Adams County's population is 1.9 times (93%) larger than Worth County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Missouri: St. Louis County ($104,775).
- St. Louis County's income is 1.1 times (7%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Missouri: Douglas County ($40,515).
- Decatur County's income is 1.1 times (14%) richer than Douglas County's.
Iowa vs Missouri Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Missouri has a top income tax rate of 4.7%.
- Missouri's top rate is 0.9 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Missouri: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.5 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Missouri: 8.44%.
- Missouri's combined rate is 1.5 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Missouri official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Missouri 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.