The map above shows Iowa and Wisconsin side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Iowa vs Wisconsin Geography
Land area
- Iowa has a land area of 55,854 square miles (144,660 km²), while Wisconsin has 54,168 square miles (140,294 km²).
- Iowa and Wisconsin have about the same land area.
Total area
- Iowa: 56,273 square miles (145,746 km²) vs Wisconsin: 65,497 square miles (169,636 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Wisconsin's total area is 1.2 times (16%) larger than Iowa's.
Length
- Iowa is 216 miles (347 km) long from north to south; Wisconsin is 368 miles (593 km).
- Wisconsin's north-south length is 1.7 times (70%) longer than Iowa's.
Width
- Iowa spans 335 miles (539 km) east to west; Wisconsin spans 323 miles (521 km).
- Iowa and Wisconsin have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- Iowa's highest point is Hawkeye Point at 1,669 feet (509 m); Wisconsin's is Timms Hill at 1,946 feet (593 m).
- Timms Hill is 277 feet higher than Hawkeye Point.
Lowest point
- Iowa's lowest point is Mississippi River at 480 feet; Wisconsin's is Lake Michigan at 577 feet.
- Iowa's lowest point is 97 feet lower.
Iowa vs Wisconsin Population and History
Population
- Iowa has a population of 3,241,488 (2024), while Wisconsin has 5,960,975 (2024).
- Wisconsin's population is 1.8 times (84%) larger than Iowa's.
Population density
- Iowa: 58.0 people per square mile vs Wisconsin: 110.0.
- Wisconsin's population density is 1.9 times (90%) higher than Iowa's.
Biggest city
- Iowa's biggest city is Des Moines with 213,096 people; Wisconsin's is Milwaukee with 563,531.
- Milwaukee's population is 2.6 times (164%) larger than Des Moines'.
Largest metro area
- Iowa's largest metropolitan area is Omaha, NE-IA metro area (1,001,010 people) vs Wisconsin's Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952).
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area's population is 3.8 times (275%) larger than Omaha, NE-IA metro area's.
History
- Iowa: Admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.
- Wisconsin: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state.
- In its current form, Iowa is the older of the two by 2 years.
Iowa vs Wisconsin Economy
GDP
- Iowa's GDP is $265.8 billion (2024) vs Wisconsin's $453.3 billion.
- Wisconsin's economic output is 1.7 times (71%) larger than Iowa's.
GDP per capita
- Iowa: $81,998 per person vs Wisconsin: $76,044.
- Iowa's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (8%) higher than Wisconsin's.
Average income
- Iowa: $65,225 vs Wisconsin: $67,755 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Iowa and Wisconsin have about the same average income.
Iowa vs Wisconsin Counties
Number of counties
- Iowa has 99 counties, while Wisconsin has 72.
- Iowa's county count is 1.4 times (38%) higher than Wisconsin's.
Biggest county by area
- Iowa's largest county is Kossuth County at 973 square miles; Wisconsin's is Marathon County at 1,545 square miles.
- Marathon County's land area is 1.6 times (59%) larger than Kossuth County's.
Smallest county by area
- Iowa: Dickinson County (381 sq mi) vs Wisconsin: Pepin County (232 sq mi).
- Dickinson County's land area is 1.6 times (64%) larger than Pepin County's.
Most populous county
- Iowa: Polk County (516,185 people) vs Wisconsin: Milwaukee County (924,740 people).
- Milwaukee County's population is 1.8 times (79%) larger than Polk County's.
Least populous county
- Iowa: Adams County (3,606 people) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County (4,286 people).
- Menominee County's population is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Adams County's.
Richest county
- Iowa: Mitchell County ($98,211 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Ozaukee County ($109,947).
- Ozaukee County's income is 1.1 times (12%) richer than Mitchell County's.
Poorest county
- Iowa: Decatur County ($46,134 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County ($43,696).
- Decatur County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Menominee County's.
Iowa vs Wisconsin Taxes
State income tax
- Iowa has a top income tax rate of 3.8%, while Wisconsin has a top income tax rate of 7.65%.
- Wisconsin's top rate is 3.85 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Iowa: 1.29% effective rate vs Wisconsin: 1.25% of home value per year.
- Iowa's rate is 0.04 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Iowa: 6.94% combined state and average local rate vs Wisconsin: 5.72%.
- Iowa's combined rate is 1.22 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Iowa official website · Wisconsin official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Iowa size comparisons · All Wisconsin 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.