The map above shows Iowa and Pennsylvania side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Pennsylvania Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Pennsylvania has 44,742 square miles (115,882 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 1.2 times (25%) larger than Pennsylvania's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Pennsylvania: 46,054 square miles (119,279 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Pennsylvania's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Pennsylvania is 284 miles (458 km).
- Pennsylvania's north-south length is 1.3 times (31%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Pennsylvania spans 307 miles (495 km).
- Iowa's east-west width is 1.1 times (9%) wider than Pennsylvania's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Pennsylvania's is Mount Davis at 3,210 feet (978 m).
- Mount Davis is 1,541 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Pennsylvania's is Delaware River at 0 feet.
- Pennsylvania's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Iowa vs Pennsylvania Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Pennsylvania has 13,078,751 (2024).
- Pennsylvania's population is 4.0 times (303%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Pennsylvania: 292.3.
- Pennsylvania's population density is 5.0 times (404%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Pennsylvania's is Philadelphia with 1,573,916.
- Philadelphia's population is 7.4 times (639%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Pennsylvania's Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (6,330,422).
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area's population is 6.3 times (532%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Pennsylvania: Admitted to the Union on December 12, 1787, as the 2nd state.
- In its current form, Pennsylvania is the older of the two by 59 years.
Iowa vs Pennsylvania Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Pennsylvania's $1,007.9 billion.
- Pennsylvania's economic output is 3.8 times (279%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Pennsylvania: $77,062.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Pennsylvania's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Pennsylvania: $70,678 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Pennsylvania's average income is 1.1 times (8%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs Pennsylvania Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Pennsylvania has 67.
- Iowa's county count is 1.5 times (48%) higher than Pennsylvania's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Pennsylvania's is Lycoming County at 1,229 square miles.
- Lycoming County's land area is 1.3 times (26%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Pennsylvania: Montour County (130 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 2.9 times (192%) larger than Montour County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Pennsylvania: Philadelphia County (1,573,916 people).
- Philadelphia County's population is 3.0 times (205%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Pennsylvania: Cameron County (4,348 people).
- Cameron County's population is 1.2 times (21%) larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Pennsylvania: Chester County ($110,883).
- Chester County's income is 1.1 times (13%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Pennsylvania: Forest County ($30,234).
- Decatur County's income is 1.5 times (53%) richer than Forest County's.
Iowa vs Pennsylvania Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Pennsylvania has a top income tax rate of 3.07%.
- Iowa's top rate is 0.73 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Pennsylvania: 1.16% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.13 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Pennsylvania: 6.34%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 0.6 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Pennsylvania official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Pennsylvania 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.