The map above shows Alabama and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alabama vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Alabama has a land area of 50,651 square miles (131,185 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Alabama's land area is 1.3 times (28%) larger than Virginia's.
Total area
- Alabama: 52,420 square miles (135,767 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alabama's total area is 1.2 times (23%) larger than Virginia's.
Length
- Alabama is 331 miles (532 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Alabama's north-south length is 1.5 times (48%) longer than Virginia's.
Width
- Alabama spans 212 miles (341 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Virginia's east-west width is 2.2 times (120%) wider than Alabama's.
Highest point
- Alabama's highest point is Cheaha Mountain at 2,405 feet (733 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Rogers is 3,324 feet higher than Cheaha Mountain.
Lowest point
- Alabama's lowest point is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
Alabama vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Alabama has a population of 5,157,699 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 1.7 times (71%) larger than Alabama's.
Population density
- Alabama: 101.8 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Virginia's population density is 2.2 times (119%) higher than Alabama's.
Biggest city
- Alabama's biggest city is Huntsville with 230,402 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Virginia Beach's population is 2.0 times (97%) larger than Huntsville's.
Largest metro area
- Alabama's largest metropolitan area is Birmingham, AL metro area (1,192,583 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's population is 5.4 times (440%) larger than Birmingham, AL metro area's.
History
- Alabama: Admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819, as the 22nd 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 31 years.
Alabama vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Alabama's GDP is $325.3 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Virginia's economic output is 2.3 times (134%) larger than Alabama's.
GDP per capita
- Alabama: $63,080 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Virginia's GDP per capita is 1.4 times (37%) higher than Alabama's.
Average income
- Alabama: $57,311 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Virginia's average income is 1.3 times (35%) higher than Alabama's.
Alabama vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Alabama has 67 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 2.0 times (99%) higher than Alabama's.
Biggest county by area
- Alabama's largest county is Baldwin County at 1,590 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Baldwin County's land area is 1.6 times (64%) larger than Pittsylvania County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alabama: Etowah County (535 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Etowah County's land area is 267.6 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Alabama: Jefferson County (664,744 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Fairfax County's population is 1.7 times (75%) larger than Jefferson County's.
Least populous county
- Alabama: Greene County (7,127 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Greene County's population is 3.0 times (204%) larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- Alabama: Jefferson County ($75,312 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Arlington County's income is 1.7 times (75%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Alabama: Bullock County ($39,403 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Bullock County and Sussex County have about the same income.
Alabama vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Alabama has a top income tax rate of 5%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Virginia's top rate is 0.75 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alabama: 0.38% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Virginia's rate is 0.33 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alabama: 9.46% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Alabama's combined rate is 3.69 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alabama official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alabama 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.