The map above shows Massachusetts and Rhode Island side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Massachusetts vs Rhode Island Geography
Land area
- Massachusetts has a land area of 7,801 square miles (20,204 km²), while Rhode Island has 1,034 square miles (2,678 km²).
- Massachusetts' land area is 7.5 times (654%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Total area
- Massachusetts: 10,554 square miles (27,335 km²) vs Rhode Island: 1,545 square miles (4,002 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Massachusetts' total area is 6.8 times (583%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Length
- Massachusetts is 123 miles (198 km) long from north to south; Rhode Island is 61 miles (98 km).
- Massachusetts' north-south length is 2.0 times (102%) longer than Rhode Island's.
Width
- Massachusetts spans 185 miles (297 km) east to west; Rhode Island spans 42 miles (67 km).
- Massachusetts' east-west width is 4.4 times (340%) wider than Rhode Island's.
Highest point
- Massachusetts's highest point is Mount Greylock at 3,489 feet (1,063 m); Rhode Island's is Jerimoth Hill at 811 feet (247 m).
- Mount Greylock is 2,678 feet higher than Jerimoth Hill.
Lowest point
- Massachusetts's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Rhode Island's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
Massachusetts vs Rhode Island Population and History
Population
- Massachusetts has a population of 7,136,171 (2024), while Rhode Island has 1,112,308 (2024).
- Massachusetts' population is 6.4 times (542%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Population density
- Massachusetts: 914.8 people per square mile vs Rhode Island: 1,075.8.
- Rhode Island's population density is 1.2 times (18%) higher than Massachusetts'.
Biggest city
- Massachusetts's biggest city is Boston with 673,458 people; Rhode Island's is Providence with 194,706.
- Boston's population is 3.5 times (246%) larger than Providence's.
Largest metro area
- Massachusetts's largest metropolitan area is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517 people) vs Rhode Island's Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (1,700,901).
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area's population is 3.0 times (195%) larger than Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area's.
History
- Massachusetts: Admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788, as the 6th state.
- Rhode Island: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1790, as the 13th state.
- In its current form, Massachusetts is the older of the two by 2 years.
Massachusetts vs Rhode Island Economy
GDP
- Massachusetts's GDP is $778.5 billion (2024) vs Rhode Island's $80.4 billion.
- Massachusetts' economic output is 9.7 times (868%) larger than Rhode Island's.
GDP per capita
- Massachusetts: $109,095 per person vs Rhode Island: $72,265.
- Massachusetts' GDP per capita is 1.5 times (51%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Average income
- Massachusetts: $93,607 vs Rhode Island: $70,622 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Massachusetts' average income is 1.3 times (33%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Massachusetts vs Rhode Island Counties
Number of counties
- Massachusetts has 14 counties, while Rhode Island has 5.
- Massachusetts' county count is 2.8 times (180%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Biggest county by area
- Massachusetts's largest county is Worcester County at 1,511 square miles; Rhode Island's is Providence County at 410 square miles.
- Worcester County's land area is 3.7 times (269%) larger than Providence County's.
Smallest county by area
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (46 sq mi) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County (24 sq mi).
- Nantucket County's land area is 1.9 times (92%) larger than Bristol County's.
Most populous county
- Massachusetts: Middlesex County (1,668,956 people) vs Rhode Island: Providence County (675,912 people).
- Middlesex County's population is 2.5 times (147%) larger than Providence County's.
Least populous county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (14,670 people) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County (50,145 people).
- Bristol County's population is 3.4 times (242%) larger than Nantucket County's.
Richest county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County ($129,250 per capita income) vs Rhode Island: Bristol County ($99,923).
- Nantucket County's income is 1.3 times (29%) richer than Bristol County's.
Poorest county
- Massachusetts: Hampshire County ($65,432 per capita income) vs Rhode Island: Providence County ($61,040).
- Hampshire County's income is 1.1 times (7%) richer than Providence County's.
Massachusetts vs Rhode Island Taxes
State income tax
- Massachusetts has a top income tax rate of 9%, while Rhode Island has a top income tax rate of 5.99%.
- Massachusetts's top rate is 3.01 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Massachusetts: 1% effective rate vs Rhode Island: 1.07% of home value per year.
- Rhode Island's rate is 0.07 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Massachusetts: 6.25% combined state and average local rate vs Rhode Island: 7%.
- Rhode Island's combined rate is 0.75 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Massachusetts official website · Rhode Island official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Massachusetts size comparisons · All Rhode Island 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.