The map above shows Minnesota and Wisconsin side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Minnesota vs Wisconsin Geography
Land area
- Minnesota has a land area of 79,632 square miles (206,245 km²), while Wisconsin has 54,168 square miles (140,294 km²).
- Minnesota's land area is 1.5 times (47%) larger than Wisconsin's.
Total area
- Minnesota: 86,943 square miles (225,182 km²) vs Wisconsin: 65,497 square miles (169,636 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Minnesota's total area is 1.3 times (33%) larger than Wisconsin's.
Length
- Minnesota is 408 miles (657 km) long from north to south; Wisconsin is 368 miles (593 km).
- Minnesota's north-south length is 1.1 times (11%) longer than Wisconsin's.
Width
- Minnesota spans 360 miles (580 km) east to west; Wisconsin spans 323 miles (521 km).
- Minnesota's east-west width is 1.1 times (11%) wider than Wisconsin's.
Highest point
- Minnesota's highest point is Eagle Mountain at 2,292 feet (699 m); Wisconsin's is Timms Hill at 1,946 feet (593 m).
- Eagle Mountain is 346 feet higher than Timms Hill.
Lowest point
- Minnesota's lowest point is Lake Superior at 601 feet; Wisconsin's is Lake Michigan at 577 feet.
- Wisconsin's lowest point is 24 feet lower.
Minnesota vs Wisconsin Population and History
Population
- Minnesota has a population of 5,793,151 (2024), while Wisconsin has 5,960,975 (2024).
- Minnesota and Wisconsin have about the same population.
Population density
- Minnesota: 72.7 people per square mile vs Wisconsin: 110.0.
- Wisconsin's population density is 1.5 times (51%) higher than Minnesota's.
Biggest city
- Minnesota's biggest city is Minneapolis with 428,579 people; Wisconsin's is Milwaukee with 563,531.
- Milwaukee's population is 1.3 times (31%) larger than Minneapolis'.
Largest metro area
- Minnesota's largest metropolitan area is Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952 people) vs Wisconsin's Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952).
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area have about the same population.
History
- Minnesota: Admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state.
- Wisconsin: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state.
- In its current form, Wisconsin is the older of the two by 10 years.
Minnesota vs Wisconsin Economy
GDP
- Minnesota's GDP is $507.7 billion (2024) vs Wisconsin's $453.3 billion.
- Minnesota's economic output is 1.1 times (12%) larger than Wisconsin's.
GDP per capita
- Minnesota: $87,636 per person vs Wisconsin: $76,044.
- Minnesota's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (15%) higher than Wisconsin's.
Average income
- Minnesota: $75,603 vs Wisconsin: $67,755 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Minnesota's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Wisconsin's.
Minnesota vs Wisconsin Counties
Number of counties
- Minnesota has 87 counties, while Wisconsin has 72.
- Minnesota's county count is 1.2 times (21%) higher than Wisconsin's.
Biggest county by area
- Minnesota's largest county is St. Louis County at 6,248 square miles; Wisconsin's is Marathon County at 1,545 square miles.
- St. Louis County's land area is 4.0 times (304%) larger than Marathon County's.
Smallest county by area
- Minnesota: Ramsey County (152 sq mi) vs Wisconsin: Pepin County (232 sq mi).
- Pepin County's land area is 1.5 times (52%) larger than Ramsey County's.
Most populous county
- Minnesota: Hennepin County (1,273,334 people) vs Wisconsin: Milwaukee County (924,740 people).
- Hennepin County's population is 1.4 times (38%) larger than Milwaukee County's.
Least populous county
- Minnesota: Traverse County (3,134 people) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County (4,286 people).
- Menominee County's population is 1.4 times (37%) larger than Traverse County's.
Richest county
- Minnesota: Hennepin County ($100,352 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Ozaukee County ($109,947).
- Ozaukee County's income is 1.1 times (10%) richer than Hennepin County's.
Poorest county
- Minnesota: Pine County ($48,677 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County ($43,696).
- Pine County's income is 1.1 times (11%) richer than Menominee County's.
Minnesota vs Wisconsin Taxes
State income tax
- Minnesota has a top income tax rate of 9.85%, while Wisconsin has a top income tax rate of 7.65%.
- Minnesota's top rate is 2.2 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Minnesota: 1.02% effective rate vs Wisconsin: 1.25% of home value per year.
- Wisconsin's rate is 0.23 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Minnesota: 8.14% combined state and average local rate vs Wisconsin: 5.72%.
- Minnesota's combined rate is 2.42 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Minnesota official website · Wisconsin official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Minnesota 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.