The map above shows Kentucky and Louisiana side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kentucky vs Louisiana Geography
Land area
- Kentucky has a land area of 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²), while Louisiana has 43,213 square miles (111,921 km²).
- Louisiana's land area is 1.1 times (9%) larger than Kentucky's.
Total area
- Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²) vs Louisiana: 52,375 square miles (135,652 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Louisiana's total area is 1.3 times (30%) larger than Kentucky's.
Length
- Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km) long from north to south; Louisiana is 301 miles (484 km).
- Louisiana's north-south length is 1.2 times (17%) longer than Kentucky's.
Width
- Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km) east to west; Louisiana spans 356 miles (574 km).
- Kentucky's east-west width is 1.2 times (17%) wider than Louisiana's.
Highest point
- Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m); Louisiana's is Driskill Mountain at 533 feet (162 m).
- Black Mountain is 3,601 feet higher than Driskill Mountain.
Lowest point
- Kentucky's lowest point is Mississippi River at 270 feet; Louisiana's is New Orleans at -8 feet.
- Louisiana's lowest point is 278 feet lower.
Kentucky vs Louisiana Population and History
Population
- Kentucky has a population of 4,588,372 (2024), while Louisiana has 4,597,740 (2024).
- Kentucky and Louisiana have about the same population.
Population density
- Kentucky: 116.2 people per square mile vs Louisiana: 106.4.
- Kentucky's population density is 1.1 times (9%) higher than Louisiana's.
Biggest city
- Kentucky's biggest city is Louisville with 640,796 people; Louisiana's is New Orleans with 362,701.
- Louisville's population is 1.8 times (77%) larger than New Orleans'.
Largest metro area
- Kentucky's largest metropolitan area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815 people) vs Louisiana's New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area (966,230).
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's population is 2.4 times (138%) larger than New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area's.
History
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- Louisiana: Admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812, as the 18th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 20 years.
Kentucky vs Louisiana Economy
GDP
- Kentucky's GDP is $295.4 billion (2024) vs Louisiana's $329.2 billion.
- Louisiana's economic output is 1.1 times (11%) larger than Kentucky's.
GDP per capita
- Kentucky: $64,375 per person vs Louisiana: $71,594.
- Louisiana's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (11%) higher than Kentucky's.
Average income
- Kentucky: $58,256 vs Louisiana: $61,897 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Louisiana's average income is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Kentucky's.
Kentucky vs Louisiana Counties
Number of counties
- Kentucky has 120 counties, while Louisiana has 64.
- Kentucky's county count is 1.9 times (88%) higher than Louisiana's.
Biggest county by area
- Kentucky's largest county is Pike County at 786 square miles; Louisiana's is Vernon Parish at 1,327 square miles.
- Vernon Parish's land area is 1.7 times (69%) larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi) vs Louisiana: Orleans Parish (170 sq mi).
- Orleans Parish's land area is 1.7 times (72%) larger than Gallatin County's.
Most populous county
- Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people) vs Louisiana: East Baton Rouge Parish (453,022 people).
- Jefferson County's population is 1.8 times (75%) larger than East Baton Rouge Parish's.
Least populous county
- Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people) vs Louisiana: Tensas Parish (3,844 people).
- Tensas Parish's population is 1.6 times (61%) larger than Robertson County's.
Richest county
- Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137 per capita income) vs Louisiana: St. Tammany Parish ($82,398).
- Oldham County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than St. Tammany Parish's.
Poorest county
- Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817 per capita income) vs Louisiana: East Carroll Parish ($36,751).
- East Carroll Parish's income is 1.2 times (16%) richer than Elliott County's.
Kentucky vs Louisiana Taxes
State income tax
- Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%, while Louisiana has a top income tax rate of 3%.
- Kentucky's top rate is 0.5 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Kentucky: 0.71% effective rate vs Louisiana: 0.53% of home value per year.
- Kentucky's rate is 0.18 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Kentucky: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Louisiana: 10.13%.
- Louisiana's combined rate is 4.13 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Kentucky official website · Louisiana official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Kentucky size comparisons · All Louisiana 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.