The map above shows Colorado and Washington side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Colorado vs Washington Geography
Land area
- Colorado has a land area of 103,637 square miles (268,419 km²), while Washington has 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²).
- Colorado's land area is 1.6 times (56%) larger than Washington's.
Total area
- Colorado: 104,095 square miles (269,605 km²) vs Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Colorado's total area is 1.5 times (46%) larger than Washington's.
Length
- Colorado is 467 miles (751 km) long from north to south; Washington is 238 miles (383 km).
- Colorado's north-south length is 2.0 times (96%) longer than Washington's.
Width
- Colorado spans 387 miles (622 km) east to west; Washington spans 399 miles (641 km).
- Colorado and Washington have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- Colorado's highest point is Mount Elbert at 14,422 feet (4,396 m); Washington's is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m).
- Mount Elbert is 13 feet higher than Mount Rainier.
Lowest point
- Colorado's lowest point is Arikaree River at 3,326 feet; Washington's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- Washington's lowest point is 3,326 feet lower.
Colorado vs Washington Population and History
Population
- Colorado has a population of 5,957,493 (2024), while Washington has 7,958,180 (2024).
- Washington's population is 1.3 times (34%) larger than Colorado's.
Population density
- Colorado: 57.5 people per square mile vs Washington: 119.8.
- Washington's population density is 2.1 times (108%) higher than Colorado's.
Biggest city
- Colorado's biggest city is Denver with 729,019 people; Washington's is Seattle with 780,995.
- Seattle's population is 1.1 times (7%) larger than Denver's.
Largest metro area
- Colorado's largest metropolitan area is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (3,052,498 people) vs Washington's Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494).
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's population is 1.4 times (36%) larger than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area's.
History
- Colorado: Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, as the 38th state.
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state.
- In its current form, Colorado is the older of the two by 13 years.
Colorado vs Washington Economy
GDP
- Colorado's GDP is $557.6 billion (2024) vs Washington's $856.0 billion.
- Washington's economic output is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Colorado's.
GDP per capita
- Colorado: $93,602 per person vs Washington: $107,564.
- Washington's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (15%) higher than Colorado's.
Average income
- Colorado: $83,055 vs Washington: $85,187 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Colorado and Washington have about the same average income.
Colorado vs Washington Counties
Number of counties
- Colorado has 64 counties, while Washington has 39.
- Colorado's county count is 1.6 times (64%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest county by area
- Colorado's largest county is Las Animas County at 4,773 square miles; Washington's is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles.
- Okanogan County's land area is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Las Animas County's.
Smallest county by area
- Colorado: Broomfield County (33 sq mi) vs Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi).
- San Juan County's land area is 5.3 times (427%) larger than Broomfield County's.
Most populous county
- Colorado: El Paso County (752,772 people) vs Washington: King County (2,340,211 people).
- King County's population is 3.1 times (211%) larger than El Paso County's.
Least populous county
- Colorado: Hinsdale County (747 people) vs Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people).
- Garfield County's population is 3.2 times (222%) larger than Hinsdale County's.
Richest county
- Colorado: Pitkin County ($275,044 per capita income) vs Washington: King County ($128,684).
- Pitkin County's income is 2.1 times (114%) richer than King County's.
Poorest county
- Colorado: Crowley County ($27,232 per capita income) vs Washington: Ferry County ($50,456).
- Ferry County's income is 1.9 times (85%) richer than Crowley County's.
Colorado vs Washington Taxes
State income tax
- Colorado has a top income tax rate of 4.4%, while Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only.
Property tax
- Colorado: 0.49% effective rate vs Washington: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Washington's rate is 0.3 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Colorado: 7.89% combined state and average local rate vs Washington: 9.57%.
- Washington's combined rate is 1.68 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Colorado official website · Washington official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Colorado 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.