The map above shows Alaska and Washington side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alaska vs Washington Geography
Land area
- Alaska has a land area of 571,242 square miles (1,479,509 km²), while Washington has 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²).
- Alaska's land area is 8.6 times (760%) larger than Washington's.
Total area
- Alaska: 665,725 square miles (1,724,220 km²) vs Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alaska's total area is 9.3 times (834%) larger than Washington's.
Length
- Alaska is 1,201 miles (1,933 km) long from north to south; Washington is 238 miles (383 km).
- Alaska's north-south length is 5.0 times (405%) longer than Washington's.
Width
- Alaska spans 1,544 miles (2,485 km) east to west; Washington spans 399 miles (641 km).
- Alaska's east-west width is 3.9 times (287%) wider than Washington's.
Highest point
- Alaska's highest point is Denali at 20,235 feet (6,168 m); Washington's is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m).
- Denali is 5,826 feet higher than Mount Rainier.
Lowest point
- Alaska's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; Washington's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
Alaska vs Washington Population and History
Population
- Alaska has a population of 740,133 (2024), while Washington has 7,958,180 (2024).
- Washington's population is 10.8 times larger than Alaska's.
Population density
- Alaska: 1.3 people per square mile vs Washington: 119.8.
- Washington's population density is 92.2 times higher than Alaska's.
Biggest city
- Alaska's biggest city is Anchorage with 289,600 people; Washington's is Seattle with 780,995.
- Seattle's population is 2.7 times (170%) larger than Anchorage's.
Largest metro area
- Alaska's largest metropolitan area is Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 people) vs Washington's Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494).
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's population is 10.2 times larger than Anchorage, AK metro area's.
History
- Alaska: Admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959, as the 49th state.
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state.
- In its current form, Washington is the older of the two by 70 years.
Alaska vs Washington Economy
GDP
- Alaska's GDP is $71.6 billion (2024) vs Washington's $856.0 billion.
- Washington's economic output is 12.0 times larger than Alaska's.
GDP per capita
- Alaska: $96,695 per person vs Washington: $107,564.
- Washington's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (11%) higher than Alaska's.
Average income
- Alaska: $76,234 vs Washington: $85,187 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Washington's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Alaska's.
Alaska vs Washington Counties
Number of counties
- Alaska has 30 counties, while Washington has 39.
- Washington's county count is 1.3 times (30%) higher than Alaska's.
Biggest county by area
- Alaska's largest county is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area at 145,769 square miles; Washington's is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles.
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area's land area is 27.7 times larger than Okanogan County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alaska: Skagway Municipality (443 sq mi) vs Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi).
- Skagway Municipality's land area is 2.5 times (155%) larger than San Juan County's.
Most populous county
- Alaska: Anchorage Municipality (289,600 people) vs Washington: King County (2,340,211 people).
- King County's population is 8.1 times (708%) larger than Anchorage Municipality's.
Least populous county
- Alaska: Yakutat City and Borough (690 people) vs Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people).
- Garfield County's population is 3.5 times (248%) larger than Yakutat City and Borough's.
Richest county
- Alaska: Bristol Bay Borough ($158,406 per capita income) vs Washington: King County ($128,684).
- Bristol Bay Borough's income is 1.2 times (23%) richer than King County's.
Poorest county
- Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area ($37,765 per capita income) vs Washington: Ferry County ($50,456).
- Ferry County's income is 1.3 times (34%) richer than Kusilvak Census Area's.
Alaska vs Washington Taxes
State income tax
- Alaska has no state income tax, while Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only.
Property tax
- Alaska: 1.06% effective rate vs Washington: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Alaska's rate is 0.27 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alaska: 1.82% combined state and average local rate vs Washington: 9.57%.
- Washington's combined rate is 7.75 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alaska official website · Washington official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alaska size comparisons · All Washington 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.