The map above shows Iowa and Tennessee side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Tennessee Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Tennessee has 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 1.4 times (35%) larger than Tennessee's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 1.3 times (34%) larger than Tennessee's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km).
- Iowa's north-south length is 1.1 times (13%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km).
- Tennessee's east-west width is 1.5 times (48%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Tennessee's is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m).
- Clingmans Dome is 4,955 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Tennessee's is Mississippi River at 178 feet.
- Tennessee's lowest point is 302 feet lower.
Iowa vs Tennessee Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Tennessee has 7,227,750 (2024).
- Tennessee's population is 2.2 times (123%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Tennessee: 175.3.
- Tennessee's population density is 3.0 times (202%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Tennessee's is Nashville with 704,963.
- Nashville's population is 3.3 times (231%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Tennessee's Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553).
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area's population is 2.1 times (115%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Tennessee: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state.
- In its current form, Tennessee is the older of the two by 50 years.
Iowa vs Tennessee Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Tennessee's $561.2 billion.
- Tennessee's economic output is 2.1 times (111%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Tennessee: $77,645.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Tennessee's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Tennessee: $66,504 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa and Tennessee have about the same average income.
Iowa vs Tennessee Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Tennessee has 95.
- Iowa and Tennessee have about the same county count.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Tennessee's is Shelby County at 753 square miles.
- Kossuth County's land area is 1.3 times (29%) larger than Shelby County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 3.3 times (233%) larger than Trousdale County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people).
- Shelby County's population is 1.8 times (76%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people).
- Pickett County's population is 1.4 times (42%) larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704).
- Williamson County's income is 1.4 times (42%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572).
- Decatur County's income is 1.5 times (46%) richer than Lake County's.
Iowa vs Tennessee Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Tennessee has no state income tax.
- Iowa's top rate is 3.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Tennessee: 0.45% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.84 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Tennessee: 9.61%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 2.67 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Tennessee official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Tennessee 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.