The map above shows Louisiana and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Louisiana vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Louisiana has a land area of 43,213 square miles (111,921 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Louisiana's land area is 1.8 times (80%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Louisiana: 52,375 square miles (135,652 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Louisiana's total area is 2.2 times (116%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Louisiana is 301 miles (484 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Louisiana's north-south length is 1.2 times (23%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Louisiana spans 356 miles (574 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Louisiana's east-west width is 1.3 times (29%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Louisiana's highest point is Driskill Mountain at 533 feet (162 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 4,330 feet higher than Driskill Mountain.
Lowest point
- Louisiana's lowest point is New Orleans at -8 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Louisiana's lowest point is 248 feet lower.
Louisiana vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Louisiana has a population of 4,597,740 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Louisiana's population is 2.6 times (160%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Louisiana: 106.4 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Louisiana's population density is 1.4 times (45%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Louisiana's biggest city is New Orleans with 362,701 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- New Orleans' population is 7.8 times (680%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Louisiana's largest metropolitan area is New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area (966,230 people) vs West Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's population is 6.7 times (566%) larger than New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area's.
History
- Louisiana: Admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812, as the 18th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Louisiana is the older of the two by 51 years.
Louisiana vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Louisiana's GDP is $329.2 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Louisiana's economic output is 3.1 times (209%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Louisiana: $71,594 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Louisiana's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (19%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Louisiana: $61,897 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Louisiana's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than West Virginia's.
Louisiana vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Louisiana has 64 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Louisiana's county count is 1.2 times (16%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Louisiana's largest county is Vernon Parish at 1,327 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Vernon Parish's land area is 1.3 times (28%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Louisiana: Orleans Parish (170 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Orleans Parish's land area is 2.1 times (105%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Louisiana: East Baton Rouge Parish (453,022 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- East Baton Rouge Parish's population is 2.6 times (160%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Louisiana: Tensas Parish (3,844 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 1.3 times (28%) larger than Tensas Parish's.
Richest county
- Louisiana: St. Tammany Parish ($82,398 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- St. Tammany Parish's income is 1.2 times (17%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Louisiana: East Carroll Parish ($36,751 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- East Carroll Parish's income is 1.0 times (5%) richer than Webster County's.
Louisiana vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Louisiana has a top income tax rate of 3%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 1.82 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Louisiana: 0.53% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- The two are essentially equal.
Sales tax
- Louisiana: 10.13% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Louisiana's combined rate is 3.53 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Louisiana official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Louisiana size comparisons · All West 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.