The map above shows District of Columbia and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Geography
Land area: District of Columbia has a land area of 61 square miles (158 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²). Virginia's land area is 647.2 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Total area: District of Columbia: 68 square miles (177 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water. Virginia's total area is 625.9 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Length: District of Columbia is 13 miles (22 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km). Virginia's north-south length is 17.2 times longer than District of Columbia's.
Width: District of Columbia spans 12 miles (19 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km). Virginia's east-west width is 38.8 times wider than District of Columbia's.
Highest point: District of Columbia's highest point is Fort Reno at 429 feet (131 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m). Mount Rogers is 5,300 feet higher than Fort Reno.
Lowest point: District of Columbia's lowest point is Potomac River at 0 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Population and History
Population: District of Columbia has a population of 702,250 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024). Virginia's population is 12.5 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Population density: District of Columbia: 11,493.5 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2. District of Columbia's population density is 51.5 times higher than Virginia's.
Biggest city: District of Columbia's biggest city is Washington with 702,250 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808. Washington's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Virginia Beach's.
Largest metro area: District of Columbia's largest metropolitan area is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489 people) vs Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489). Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area have about the same population.
History: District of Columbia: The federal district, established by the Residence Act on July 16, 1790; not a state. Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state. In its current form, Virginia is the older of the two by 2 years.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Economy
GDP: District of Columbia's GDP is $184.3 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion. Virginia's economic output is 4.1 times (313%) larger than District of Columbia's.
GDP per capita: District of Columbia: $262,439 per person vs Virginia: $86,451. District of Columbia's GDP per capita is 3.0 times (204%) higher than Virginia's.
Average income: District of Columbia: $111,185 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income). District of Columbia's average income is 1.4 times (44%) higher than Virginia's.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties: District of Columbia has 1 counties, while Virginia has 133. Virginia's county count is 133.0 times higher than District of Columbia's.
Biggest county by area: District of Columbia's largest county is District of Columbia at 61 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles. Pittsylvania County's land area is 15.9 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Smallest county by area: District of Columbia: District of Columbia (61 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi). District of Columbia's land area is 30.6 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county: District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people). Fairfax County's population is 1.7 times (65%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Least populous county: District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people). District of Columbia's population is 299.1 times larger than Highland County's.
Richest county: District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624). Arlington County's income is 1.2 times (18%) richer than District of Columbia's.
Poorest county: District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032). District of Columbia's income is 2.7 times (171%) richer than Sussex County's.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax: District of Columbia has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%. District of Columbia's top rate is 5 percentage points higher.
Property tax: District of Columbia: 0.63% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year. Virginia's rate is 0.08 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: District of Columbia: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%. District of Columbia's combined rate is 0.23 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
District of Columbia official website · Virginia official website
More Size Comparisons
All District of Columbia size comparisons · All Virginia 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.