The map above shows Iowa and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Iowa's land area is 1.4 times (41%) larger than Virginia's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Iowa's total area is 1.3 times (32%) larger than Virginia's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Iowa and Virginia have about the same north-south length.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Virginia'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); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Rogers is 4,060 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Virginia's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Iowa vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 2.7 times (172%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Virginia's population density is 3.8 times (285%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Virginia Beach's population is 2.1 times (113%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's population is 6.4 times (543%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state.
- In its current form, Virginia is the older of the two by 58 years.
Iowa vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Virginia's economic output is 2.9 times (187%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Virginia's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (5%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Virginia's average income is 1.2 times (19%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 1.3 times (34%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Kossuth County and Pittsylvania County have about the same land area.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 190.3 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Fairfax County's population is 2.2 times (125%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Adams County's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Arlington County's income is 1.3 times (34%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Decatur County's income is 1.1 times (12%) richer than Sussex County's.
Iowa vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Virginia's top rate is 1.95 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.58 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 1.17 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Virginia 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.