The map above shows Missouri and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Missouri vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Missouri has a land area of 68,746 square miles (178,052 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Missouri's land area is 2.9 times (186%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Missouri: 69,707 square miles (180,540 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Missouri's total area is 2.9 times (188%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Missouri is 328 miles (529 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Missouri's north-south length is 1.3 times (34%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Missouri spans 437 miles (703 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Missouri's east-west width is 1.6 times (58%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Missouri's highest point is Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,771 feet (540 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 3,092 feet higher than Taum Sauk Mountain.
Lowest point
- Missouri's lowest point is St. Francis River at 230 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Missouri's lowest point is 10 feet lower.
Missouri vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Missouri has a population of 6,245,466 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Missouri's population is 3.5 times (253%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Missouri: 90.8 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Missouri's population density is 1.2 times (23%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Missouri's biggest city is Kansas City with 516,032 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Kansas City's population is 11.1 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Missouri's largest metropolitan area is St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (2,811,927 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 2.3 times (129%) larger than St. Louis, MO-IL metro area's.
History
- Missouri: Admitted to the Union on August 10, 1821, as the 24th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Missouri is the older of the two by 42 years.
Missouri vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Missouri's GDP is $448.7 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Missouri's economic output is 4.2 times (321%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Missouri: $71,846 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Missouri's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (19%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Missouri: $64,920 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Missouri's average income is 1.2 times (17%) higher than West Virginia's.
Missouri vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Missouri has 115 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Missouri's county count is 2.1 times (109%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Missouri's largest county is Texas County at 1,177 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Texas County's land area is 1.1 times (13%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Missouri: St. Louis city (62 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Hancock County's land area is 1.3 times (34%) larger than St. Louis city's.
Most populous county
- Missouri: St. Louis County (992,929 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- St. Louis County's population is 5.7 times (471%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Missouri: Worth County (1,872 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 2.6 times (163%) larger than Worth County's.
Richest county
- Missouri: St. Louis County ($104,775 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- St. Louis County's income is 1.5 times (49%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Missouri: Douglas County ($40,515 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Douglas County's income is 1.2 times (16%) richer than Webster County's.
Missouri vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Missouri has a top income tax rate of 4.7%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 0.12 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Missouri: 0.79% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Missouri's rate is 0.27 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Missouri: 8.44% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Missouri's combined rate is 1.84 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Missouri official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Missouri 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.