The map above shows District of Columbia and Washington side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
District of Columbia vs Washington Geography
Land area
- District of Columbia has a land area of 61 square miles (158 km²), while Washington has 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²).
- Washington's land area is 1,089.4 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Total area
- District of Columbia: 68 square miles (177 km²) vs Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Washington's total area is 1,043.3 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Length
- District of Columbia is 13 miles (22 km) long from north to south; Washington is 238 miles (383 km).
- Washington's north-south length is 18.3 times longer than District of Columbia's.
Width
- District of Columbia spans 12 miles (19 km) east to west; Washington spans 399 miles (641 km).
- Washington's east-west width is 33.3 times wider than District of Columbia's.
Highest point
- District of Columbia's highest point is Fort Reno at 429 feet (131 m); Washington's is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m).
- Mount Rainier is 13,980 feet higher than Fort Reno.
Lowest point
- District of Columbia's lowest point is Potomac River at 0 feet; Washington's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
District of Columbia vs Washington Population and History
Population
- District of Columbia has a population of 702,250 (2024), while Washington has 7,958,180 (2024).
- Washington's population is 11.3 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Population density
- District of Columbia: 11,493.5 people per square mile vs Washington: 119.8.
- District of Columbia's population density is 95.9 times higher than Washington's.
Biggest city
- District of Columbia's biggest city is Washington with 702,250 people; Washington's is Seattle with 780,995.
- Seattle's population is 1.1 times (11%) larger than Washington'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 Washington's Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's population is 1.6 times (55%) larger than Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's.
History
- District of Columbia: The federal district, established by the Residence Act on July 16, 1790; not a state.
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state.
- In its current form, District of Columbia is the older of the two by 99 years.
District of Columbia vs Washington Economy
GDP
- District of Columbia's GDP is $184.3 billion (2024) vs Washington's $856.0 billion.
- Washington's economic output is 4.6 times (364%) larger than District of Columbia's.
GDP per capita
- District of Columbia: $262,439 per person vs Washington: $107,564.
- District of Columbia's GDP per capita is 2.4 times (144%) higher than Washington's.
Average income
- District of Columbia: $111,185 vs Washington: $85,187 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- District of Columbia's average income is 1.3 times (31%) higher than Washington's.
District of Columbia vs Washington Counties
Number of counties
- District of Columbia has 1 counties, while Washington has 39.
- Washington's county count is 39.0 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; Washington's is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles.
- Okanogan County's land area is 86.2 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Smallest county by area
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (61 sq mi) vs Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi).
- San Juan County's land area is 2.8 times (185%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Most populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Washington: King County (2,340,211 people).
- King County's population is 3.3 times (233%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Least populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people).
- District of Columbia's population is 292.1 times larger than Garfield County's.
Richest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Washington: King County ($128,684).
- King County's income is 1.2 times (16%) richer than District of Columbia's.
Poorest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Washington: Ferry County ($50,456).
- District of Columbia's income is 2.2 times (120%) richer than Ferry County's.
District of Columbia vs Washington Taxes
State income tax
- District of Columbia has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only.
Property tax
- District of Columbia: 0.63% effective rate vs Washington: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Washington's rate is 0.16 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- District of Columbia: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Washington: 9.57%.
- Washington's combined rate is 3.57 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
District of Columbia official website · Washington official website
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More Size Comparisons
All District of Columbia size comparisons · All Washington 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.