The map above shows Iowa and Washington side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Washington Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Washington has 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²).
- Washington's land area is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Iowa's.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Washington's total area is 1.3 times (27%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Washington is 238 miles (383 km).
- Washington's north-south length is 1.1 times (10%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Washington spans 399 miles (641 km).
- Washington's east-west width is 1.2 times (19%) wider than Iowa's.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Washington's is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m).
- Mount Rainier is 12,740 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Washington's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- Washington's lowest point is 480 feet lower.
Iowa vs Washington Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Washington has 7,958,180 (2024).
- Washington's population is 2.5 times (146%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Washington: 119.8.
- Washington's population density is 2.1 times (107%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Washington's is Seattle with 780,995.
- Seattle's population is 3.7 times (266%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Washington's Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494).
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's population is 4.1 times (314%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state.
- In its current form, Iowa is the older of the two by 43 years.
Iowa vs Washington Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Washington's $856.0 billion.
- Washington's economic output is 3.2 times (222%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Washington: $107,564.
- Washington's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (31%) higher than Iowa's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Washington: $85,187 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Washington's average income is 1.3 times (31%) higher than Iowa's.
Iowa vs Washington Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Washington has 39.
- Iowa's county count is 2.5 times (154%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Washington's is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles.
- Okanogan County's land area is 5.4 times (441%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 2.2 times (119%) larger than San Juan County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Washington: King County (2,340,211 people).
- King County's population is 4.5 times (353%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people).
- Adams County's population is 1.5 times (50%) larger than Garfield County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Washington: King County ($128,684).
- King County's income is 1.3 times (31%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Washington: Ferry County ($50,456).
- Ferry County's income is 1.1 times (9%) richer than Decatur County's.
Iowa vs Washington Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Washington: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.5 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Washington: 9.57%.
- Washington's combined rate is 2.63 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Washington official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Washington 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.