The map above shows Kentucky and Mississippi side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kentucky vs Mississippi Geography
Land area
- Kentucky has a land area of 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²), while Mississippi has 46,925 square miles (121,534 km²).
- Mississippi's land area is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Kentucky's.
Total area
- Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²) vs Mississippi: 48,436 square miles (125,448 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Mississippi's total area is 1.2 times (20%) larger than Kentucky's.
Length
- Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km) long from north to south; Mississippi is 337 miles (542 km).
- Mississippi's north-south length is 1.3 times (31%) longer than Kentucky's.
Width
- Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km) east to west; Mississippi spans 340 miles (547 km).
- Kentucky's east-west width is 1.2 times (23%) wider than Mississippi's.
Highest point
- Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m); Mississippi's is Woodall Mountain at 805 feet (245 m).
- Black Mountain is 3,329 feet higher than Woodall Mountain.
Lowest point
- Kentucky's lowest point is Mississippi River at 270 feet; Mississippi's is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet.
- Mississippi's lowest point is 270 feet lower.
Kentucky vs Mississippi Population and History
Population
- Kentucky has a population of 4,588,372 (2024), while Mississippi has 2,943,045 (2024).
- Kentucky's population is 1.6 times (56%) larger than Mississippi's.
Population density
- Kentucky: 116.2 people per square mile vs Mississippi: 62.7.
- Kentucky's population density is 1.9 times (85%) higher than Mississippi's.
Biggest city
- Kentucky's biggest city is Louisville with 640,796 people; Mississippi's is Jackson with 141,449.
- Louisville's population is 4.5 times (353%) larger than Jackson's.
Largest metro area
- Kentucky's largest metropolitan area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815 people) vs Mississippi's Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (1,339,345).
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's population is 1.7 times (72%) larger than Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area's.
History
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- Mississippi: Admitted to the Union on December 10, 1817, as the 20th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 25 years.
Kentucky vs Mississippi Economy
GDP
- Kentucky's GDP is $295.4 billion (2024) vs Mississippi's $158.2 billion.
- Kentucky's economic output is 1.9 times (87%) larger than Mississippi's.
GDP per capita
- Kentucky: $64,375 per person vs Mississippi: $53,751.
- Kentucky's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (20%) higher than Mississippi's.
Average income
- Kentucky: $58,256 vs Mississippi: $52,074 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Kentucky's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Mississippi's.
Kentucky vs Mississippi Counties
Number of counties
- Kentucky has 120 counties, while Mississippi has 82.
- Kentucky's county count is 1.5 times (46%) higher than Mississippi's.
Biggest county by area
- Kentucky's largest county is Pike County at 786 square miles; Mississippi's is Yazoo County at 922 square miles.
- Yazoo County's land area is 1.2 times (17%) larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi) vs Mississippi: Alcorn County (400 sq mi).
- Alcorn County's land area is 4.1 times (307%) larger than Gallatin County's.
Most populous county
- Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people) vs Mississippi: Harrison County (213,730 people).
- Jefferson County's population is 3.7 times (271%) larger than Harrison County's.
Least populous county
- Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people) vs Mississippi: Issaquena County (1,295 people).
- Robertson County's population is 1.8 times (84%) larger than Issaquena County's.
Richest county
- Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137 per capita income) vs Mississippi: Madison County ($90,668).
- Oldham County and Madison County have about the same income.
Poorest county
- Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817 per capita income) vs Mississippi: Issaquena County ($27,264).
- Elliott County's income is 1.2 times (17%) richer than Issaquena County's.
Kentucky vs Mississippi Taxes
State income tax
- Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%, while Mississippi has a top income tax rate of 4%.
- Mississippi's top rate is 0.5 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Kentucky: 0.71% effective rate vs Mississippi: 0.65% of home value per year.
- Kentucky's rate is 0.06 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Kentucky: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Mississippi: 7.06%.
- Mississippi's combined rate is 1.06 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Kentucky official website · Mississippi official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Kentucky size comparisons · All Mississippi 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.