The map above shows Delaware and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Delaware vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Delaware has a land area of 1,949 square miles (5,047 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Virginia's land area is 20.3 times larger than Delaware's.
Total area
- Delaware: 2,489 square miles (6,446 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Virginia's total area is 17.2 times larger than Delaware's.
Length
- Delaware is 98 miles (158 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Virginia's north-south length is 2.3 times (128%) longer than Delaware's.
Width
- Delaware spans 96 miles (155 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Virginia's east-west width is 4.9 times (385%) wider than Delaware's.
Highest point
- Delaware's highest point is Ebright Azimuth at 450 feet (137 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Rogers is 5,279 feet higher than Ebright Azimuth.
Lowest point
- Delaware's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
Delaware vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Delaware has a population of 1,051,917 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 8.4 times (738%) larger than Delaware's.
Population density
- Delaware: 539.9 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Delaware's population density is 2.4 times (142%) higher than Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Delaware's biggest city is Wilmington with 73,176 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Virginia Beach's population is 6.2 times (522%) larger than Wilmington's.
Largest metro area
- Delaware's largest metropolitan area is Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (6,330,422 people) vs Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area have about the same population.
History
- Delaware: Admitted to the Union on December 7, 1787, as the 1st state.
- Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state.
- In its current form, Delaware is the older of the two by 1 years.
Delaware vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Delaware's GDP is $111.0 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Virginia's economic output is 6.9 times (586%) larger than Delaware's.
GDP per capita
- Delaware: $105,495 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Delaware's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (22%) higher than Virginia's.
Average income
- Delaware: $68,061 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Virginia's average income is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Delaware's.
Delaware vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Delaware has 3 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 44.3 times higher than Delaware's.
Biggest county by area
- Delaware's largest county is Sussex County at 936 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Sussex County and Pittsylvania County have about the same land area.
Smallest county by area
- Delaware: New Castle County (426 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- New Castle County's land area is 213.2 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Delaware: New Castle County (588,093 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Fairfax County's population is 2.0 times (97%) larger than New Castle County's.
Least populous county
- Delaware: Kent County (192,690 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Kent County's population is 82.1 times larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- Delaware: Sussex County ($73,647 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Arlington County's income is 1.8 times (79%) richer than Sussex County's.
Poorest county
- Delaware: Kent County ($55,474 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Kent County's income is 1.4 times (35%) richer than Sussex County's.
Delaware vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Delaware has a top income tax rate of 6.6%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Delaware's top rate is 0.85 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Delaware: 0.47% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Virginia's rate is 0.24 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Delaware: 0% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Virginia's combined rate is 5.77 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Delaware official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Delaware 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.