The map above shows Iowa and Nebraska side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Nebraska Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Nebraska has 76,815 square miles (198,950 km²).
- Nebraska's land area is 1.4 times (38%) larger than Iowa's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Nebraska: 77,347 square miles (200,329 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Nebraska's total area is 1.4 times (37%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Nebraska is 497 miles (800 km).
- Nebraska's north-south length is 2.3 times (130%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Nebraska spans 464 miles (747 km).
- Nebraska's east-west width is 1.4 times (39%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Nebraska's is Panorama Point at 5,428 feet (1,654 m).
- Panorama Point is 3,759 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Nebraska's is Missouri River at 840 feet.
- Iowa's lowest point is 360 feet lower.
Iowa vs Nebraska Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Nebraska has 2,005,465 (2024).
- Iowa's population is 1.6 times (62%) larger than Nebraska's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Nebraska: 26.1.
- Iowa's population density is 2.2 times (122%) higher than Nebraska's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Nebraska's is Omaha with 489,265.
- Omaha's population is 2.3 times (130%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Nebraska's Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010).
- Omaha, NE-IA metro area and Omaha, NE-IA metro area have about the same population.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Nebraska: Admitted to the Union on March 1, 1867, as the 37th state.
- In its current form, Iowa is the older of the two by 21 years.
Iowa vs Nebraska Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Nebraska's $189.2 billion.
- Iowa's economic output is 1.4 times (40%) larger than Nebraska's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Nebraska: $94,363.
- Nebraska's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (15%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Nebraska: $72,701 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Nebraska's average income is 1.1 times (11%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs Nebraska Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Nebraska has 93.
- Iowa's county count is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Nebraska's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Nebraska's is Cherry County at 5,960 square miles.
- Cherry County's land area is 6.1 times (513%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Nebraska: Sarpy County (238 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 1.6 times (60%) larger than Sarpy County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Nebraska: Douglas County (601,158 people).
- Douglas County's population is 1.2 times (16%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Nebraska: McPherson County (376 people).
- Adams County's population is 9.6 times (859%) larger than McPherson County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Nebraska: Pierce County ($112,729).
- Pierce County's income is 1.1 times (15%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Nebraska: Johnson County ($45,756).
- Decatur County and Johnson County have about the same income.
Iowa vs Nebraska Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Nebraska has a top income tax rate of 4.55%.
- Nebraska's top rate is 0.75 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Nebraska: 1.42% of home value per year.
- Nebraska's rate is 0.13 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Nebraska: 6.98%.
- Nebraska's combined rate is 0.04 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Nebraska official website
Download the Iowa vs Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.