The map above shows Iowa and New Jersey side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs New Jersey Geography
Land area: Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while New Jersey has 7,355 square miles (19,049 km²). Iowa's land area is 7.6 times (659%) larger than New Jersey's.
Total area: Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs New Jersey: 8,719 square miles (22,583 km²), including inland and coastal water. Iowa's total area is 6.5 times (545%) larger than New Jersey's.
Length: Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; New Jersey is 169 miles (271 km). Iowa's north-south length is 1.3 times (28%) longer than New Jersey's.
Width: Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; New Jersey spans 129 miles (207 km). Iowa's east-west width is 2.6 times (160%) wider than New Jersey's.
Highest point: Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); New Jersey's is High Point at 1,798 feet (548 m). High Point is 129 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point: Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; New Jersey's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. New Jersey's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Iowa vs New Jersey Population and History
Population: Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while New Jersey has 9,500,851 (2024). New Jersey's population is 2.9 times (193%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density: Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs New Jersey: 1,291.8. New Jersey's population density is 22.3 times higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city: Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; New Jersey's is Newark with 317,303. Newark's population is 1.5 times (49%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area: Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs New Jersey's New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (19,940,274). New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area's population is 19.9 times larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History: Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state. New Jersey: Admitted to the Union on December 18, 1787, as the 3rd state. In its current form, New Jersey is the older of the two by 59 years.
Iowa vs New Jersey Economy
GDP: Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs New Jersey's $846.0 billion. New Jersey's economic output is 3.2 times (218%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita: Iowa: $81,998 per person vs New Jersey: $89,045. New Jersey's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (9%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income: Iowa: $65,225 vs New Jersey: $84,893 average income per person (per capita personal income). New Jersey's average income is 1.3 times (30%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs New Jersey Counties
Number of counties: Iowa has 99 counties, while New Jersey has 21. Iowa's county count is 4.7 times (371%) higher than New Jersey's.
Biggest county by area: Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; New Jersey's is Burlington County at 799 square miles. Kossuth County's land area is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Burlington County's.
Smallest county by area: Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs New Jersey: Hudson County (46 sq mi). Dickinson County's land area is 8.2 times (724%) larger than Hudson County's.
Most populous county: Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs New Jersey: Bergen County (978,641 people). Bergen County's population is 1.9 times (90%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county: Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs New Jersey: Salem County (65,874 people). Salem County's population is 18.3 times larger than Adams County's.
Richest county: Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs New Jersey: Somerset County ($121,042). Somerset County's income is 1.2 times (23%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county: Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs New Jersey: Cumberland County ($50,843). Cumberland County's income is 1.1 times (10%) richer than Decatur County's.
Iowa vs New Jersey Taxes
State income tax: Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while New Jersey has a top income tax rate of 10.75%. New Jersey's top rate is 6.95 percentage points higher.
Property tax: Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs New Jersey: 1.89% of home value per year. New Jersey's rate is 0.6 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs New Jersey: 6.6%. Iowa's combined rate is 0.34 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · New Jersey official website
More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All New Jersey 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.