The map above shows Iowa and Puerto Rico side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Puerto Rico Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Puerto Rico has 3,424 square miles (8,868 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 16.3 times larger than Puerto Rico's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Puerto Rico: 3,515 square miles (9,104 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 16.0 times larger than Puerto Rico's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Puerto Rico is 67 miles (107 km).
- Iowa's north-south length is 3.2 times (222%) longer than Puerto Rico's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Puerto Rico spans 174 miles (279 km).
- Iowa's east-west width is 1.9 times (93%) wider than Puerto Rico's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Puerto Rico's is Cerro de Punta at 4,390 feet (1,338 m).
- Cerro de Punta is 2,721 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Puerto Rico's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Puerto Rico's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Iowa vs Puerto Rico Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Puerto Rico has 3,285,874 (2020).
- Iowa and Puerto Rico have about the same population.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Puerto Rico: 959.7.
- Puerto Rico's population density is 16.5 times higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Puerto Rico's is San Juan with 342,259.
- San Juan's population is 1.6 times (61%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Puerto Rico's San Juan metro area (2,233,177).
- San Juan metro area's population is 2.2 times (123%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Puerto Rico: A US territory since 1898; a commonwealth since 1952.
- In its current form, Iowa is the older of the two by 52 years.
Iowa vs Puerto Rico Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Puerto Rico's $129.0 billion.
- Iowa's economic output is 2.1 times (106%) larger than Puerto Rico's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Puerto Rico: $40,650.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 2.0 times (102%) higher than Puerto Rico's.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Puerto Rico official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Puerto Rico 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.