The map above shows Rhode Island and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Rhode Island vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Rhode Island has a land area of 1,034 square miles (2,678 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- West Virginia's land area is 23.3 times larger than Rhode Island's.
Total area
- Rhode Island: 1,545 square miles (4,002 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- West Virginia's total area is 15.7 times larger than Rhode Island's.
Length
- Rhode Island is 61 miles (98 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- West Virginia's north-south length is 4.0 times (302%) longer than Rhode Island's.
Width
- Rhode Island spans 42 miles (67 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- West Virginia's east-west width is 6.6 times (557%) wider than Rhode Island's.
Highest point
- Rhode Island's highest point is Jerimoth Hill at 811 feet (247 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 4,052 feet higher than Jerimoth Hill.
Lowest point
- Rhode Island's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Rhode Island's lowest point is 240 feet lower.
Rhode Island vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Rhode Island has a population of 1,112,308 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- West Virginia's population is 1.6 times (59%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Population density
- Rhode Island: 1,075.8 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Rhode Island's population density is 14.6 times higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Rhode Island's biggest city is Providence with 194,706 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Providence's population is 4.2 times (319%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Rhode Island's largest metropolitan area is Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (1,700,901 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 3.8 times (278%) larger than Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area's.
History
- Rhode Island: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1790, as the 13th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Rhode Island is the older of the two by 73 years.
Rhode Island vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Rhode Island's GDP is $80.4 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- West Virginia's economic output is 1.3 times (32%) larger than Rhode Island's.
GDP per capita
- Rhode Island: $72,265 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Rhode Island's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (20%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Rhode Island: $70,622 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Rhode Island's average income is 1.3 times (28%) higher than West Virginia's.
Rhode Island vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Rhode Island has 5 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- West Virginia's county count is 11.0 times higher than Rhode Island's.
Biggest county by area
- Rhode Island's largest county is Providence County at 410 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Randolph County's land area is 2.5 times (154%) larger than Providence County's.
Smallest county by area
- Rhode Island: Bristol County (24 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Hancock County's land area is 3.4 times (243%) larger than Bristol County's.
Most populous county
- Rhode Island: Providence County (675,912 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Providence County's population is 3.9 times (289%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Rhode Island: Bristol County (50,145 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Bristol County's population is 10.2 times larger than Wirt County's.
Richest county
- Rhode Island: Bristol County ($99,923 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Bristol County's income is 1.4 times (42%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Rhode Island: Providence County ($61,040 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Providence County's income is 1.7 times (74%) richer than Webster County's.
Rhode Island vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Rhode Island has a top income tax rate of 5.99%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- Rhode Island's top rate is 1.17 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Rhode Island: 1.07% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Rhode Island's rate is 0.55 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Rhode Island: 7% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Rhode Island's combined rate is 0.4 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Rhode Island official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Rhode Island 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.