The map above shows Alaska and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alaska vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Alaska has a land area of 571,242 square miles (1,479,509 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Alaska's land area is 23.8 times larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Alaska: 665,725 square miles (1,724,220 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alaska's total area is 27.5 times larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Alaska is 1,201 miles (1,933 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Alaska's north-south length is 4.9 times (390%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Alaska spans 1,544 miles (2,485 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Alaska's east-west width is 5.6 times (459%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Alaska's highest point is Denali at 20,235 feet (6,168 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Denali is 15,372 feet higher than Spruce Knob.
Lowest point
- Alaska's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Alaska's lowest point is 240 feet lower.
Alaska vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Alaska has a population of 740,133 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- West Virginia's population is 2.4 times (139%) larger than Alaska's.
Population density
- Alaska: 1.3 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- West Virginia's population density is 56.6 times higher than Alaska's.
Biggest city
- Alaska's biggest city is Anchorage with 289,600 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Anchorage's population is 6.2 times (523%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Alaska's largest metropolitan area is Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 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 15.8 times larger than Anchorage, AK metro area's.
History
- Alaska: Admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959, as the 49th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, West Virginia is the older of the two by 96 years.
Alaska vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Alaska's GDP is $71.6 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- West Virginia's economic output is 1.5 times (49%) larger than Alaska's.
GDP per capita
- Alaska: $96,695 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Alaska's GDP per capita is 1.6 times (61%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Alaska: $76,234 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Alaska's average income is 1.4 times (38%) higher than West Virginia's.
Alaska vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Alaska has 30 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- West Virginia's county count is 1.8 times (83%) higher than Alaska's.
Biggest county by area
- Alaska's largest county is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area at 145,769 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area's land area is 140.2 times larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alaska: Skagway Municipality (443 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Skagway Municipality's land area is 5.4 times (436%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Alaska: Anchorage Municipality (289,600 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Anchorage Municipality's population is 1.7 times (67%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Alaska: Yakutat City and Borough (690 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 7.1 times (614%) larger than Yakutat City and Borough's.
Richest county
- Alaska: Bristol Bay Borough ($158,406 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Bristol Bay Borough's income is 2.2 times (125%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area ($37,765 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Kusilvak Census Area's income is 1.1 times (8%) richer than Webster County's.
Alaska vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Alaska has no state income tax, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 4.82 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alaska: 1.06% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Alaska's rate is 0.54 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alaska: 1.82% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- West Virginia's combined rate is 4.78 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alaska official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alaska 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.