The map above shows Alaska and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alaska vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Alaska has a land area of 571,242 square miles (1,479,509 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Alaska's land area is 14.5 times larger than Virginia's.
Total area
- Alaska: 665,725 square miles (1,724,220 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alaska's total area is 15.6 times larger than Virginia's.
Length
- Alaska is 1,201 miles (1,933 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Alaska's north-south length is 5.4 times (439%) longer than Virginia's.
Width
- Alaska spans 1,544 miles (2,485 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Alaska's east-west width is 3.3 times (231%) wider than Virginia's.
Highest point
- Alaska's highest point is Denali at 20,235 feet (6,168 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Denali is 14,506 feet higher than Mount Rogers.
Lowest point
- Alaska's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
Alaska vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Alaska has a population of 740,133 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 11.9 times larger than Alaska's.
Population density
- Alaska: 1.3 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Virginia's population density is 171.7 times higher than Alaska's.
Biggest city
- Alaska's biggest city is Anchorage with 289,600 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Virginia Beach's population is 1.6 times (57%) larger than Anchorage's.
Largest metro area
- Alaska's largest metropolitan area is Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 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 15.8 times larger than Anchorage, AK metro area's.
History
- Alaska: Admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959, as the 49th 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 171 years.
Alaska vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Alaska's GDP is $71.6 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Virginia's economic output is 10.6 times larger than Alaska's.
GDP per capita
- Alaska: $96,695 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Alaska's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Virginia's.
Average income
- Alaska: $76,234 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Alaska and Virginia have about the same average income.
Alaska vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Alaska has 30 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 4.4 times (343%) higher than Alaska's.
Biggest county by area
- Alaska's largest county is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area at 145,769 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area's land area is 150.4 times larger than Pittsylvania County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alaska: Skagway Municipality (443 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Skagway Municipality's land area is 221.5 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Alaska: Anchorage Municipality (289,600 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Fairfax County's population is 4.0 times (301%) larger than Anchorage Municipality's.
Least populous county
- Alaska: Yakutat City and Borough (690 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Highland County's population is 3.4 times (240%) larger than Yakutat City and Borough's.
Richest county
- Alaska: Bristol Bay Borough ($158,406 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Bristol Bay Borough's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Arlington County's.
Poorest county
- Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area ($37,765 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Sussex County's income is 1.1 times (9%) richer than Kusilvak Census Area's.
Alaska vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Alaska has no state income tax, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Virginia's top rate is 5.75 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alaska: 1.06% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Alaska's rate is 0.35 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alaska: 1.82% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Virginia's combined rate is 3.95 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alaska official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alaska 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.