The map above shows Iowa and Montana side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Montana Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Montana has 145,550 square miles (376,973 km²).
- Montana's land area is 2.6 times (161%) larger than Iowa's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Montana: 147,043 square miles (380,840 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Montana's total area is 2.6 times (161%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Montana is 319 miles (514 km).
- Montana's north-south length is 1.5 times (48%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Montana spans 607 miles (976 km).
- Montana's east-west width is 1.8 times (81%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Montana's is Granite Peak at 12,767 feet (3,891 m).
- Granite Peak is 11,098 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Montana's is Kootenai River at 1,805 feet.
- Iowa's lowest point is 1,325 feet lower.
Iowa vs Montana Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Montana has 1,137,233 (2024).
- Iowa's population is 2.9 times (185%) larger than Montana's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Montana: 7.8.
- Iowa's population density is 7.4 times (644%) higher than Montana's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Montana's is Billings with 121,483.
- Des Moines' population is 1.8 times (75%) larger than Billings'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Montana's Billings, MT metro area (192,531).
- Omaha, NE-IA metro area's population is 5.2 times (420%) larger than Billings, MT metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Montana: Admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889, as the 41st state.
- In its current form, Iowa is the older of the two by 43 years.
Iowa vs Montana Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Montana's $78.4 billion.
- Iowa's economic output is 3.4 times (239%) larger than Montana's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Montana: $68,975.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (19%) higher than Montana's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Montana: $69,240 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Montana's average income is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs Montana Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Montana has 56.
- Iowa's county count is 1.8 times (77%) higher than Montana's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Montana's is Beaverhead County at 5,543 square miles.
- Beaverhead County's land area is 5.7 times (470%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Montana: Silver Bow County (718 sq mi).
- Silver Bow County's land area is 1.9 times (89%) larger than Dickinson County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Montana: Yellowstone County (171,583 people).
- Polk County's population is 3.0 times (201%) larger than Yellowstone County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Montana: Petroleum County (525 people).
- Adams County's population is 6.9 times (587%) larger than Petroleum County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Montana: Gallatin County ($94,573).
- Mitchell County and Gallatin County have about the same income.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Montana: Blaine County ($37,554).
- Decatur County's income is 1.2 times (23%) richer than Blaine County's.
Iowa vs Montana Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Montana has a top income tax rate of 5.65%.
- Montana's top rate is 1.85 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Montana: 0.69% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.6 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Montana: 0%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 6.94 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Montana official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Montana 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.