The map above shows District of Columbia and North Carolina side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
District of Columbia vs North Carolina Geography
Land area
- District of Columbia has a land area of 61 square miles (158 km²), while North Carolina has 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²).
- North Carolina's land area is 797.1 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Total area
- District of Columbia: 68 square miles (177 km²) vs North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- North Carolina's total area is 787.5 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Length
- District of Columbia is 13 miles (22 km) long from north to south; North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km).
- North Carolina's north-south length is 19.8 times longer than District of Columbia's.
Width
- District of Columbia spans 12 miles (19 km) east to west; North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km).
- North Carolina's east-west width is 40.6 times wider than District of Columbia's.
Highest point
- District of Columbia's highest point is Fort Reno at 429 feet (131 m); North Carolina's is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m).
- Mount Mitchell is 6,245 feet higher than Fort Reno.
Lowest point
- District of Columbia's lowest point is Potomac River at 0 feet; North Carolina's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
District of Columbia vs North Carolina Population and History
Population
- District of Columbia has a population of 702,250 (2024), while North Carolina has 11,046,024 (2024).
- North Carolina's population is 15.7 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Population density
- District of Columbia: 11,493.5 people per square mile vs North Carolina: 227.2.
- District of Columbia's population density is 50.6 times higher than North Carolina's.
Biggest city
- District of Columbia's biggest city is Washington with 702,250 people; North Carolina's is Charlotte with 943,476.
- Charlotte's population is 1.3 times (34%) larger than Washington's.
Largest metro area
- District of Columbia's largest metropolitan area is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489 people) vs North Carolina's Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's population is 2.2 times (123%) larger than Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's.
History
- District of Columbia: The federal district, established by the Residence Act on July 16, 1790; not a state.
- North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state.
- In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 1 years.
District of Columbia vs North Carolina Economy
GDP
- District of Columbia's GDP is $184.3 billion (2024) vs North Carolina's $844.2 billion.
- North Carolina's economic output is 4.6 times (358%) larger than District of Columbia's.
GDP per capita
- District of Columbia: $262,439 per person vs North Carolina: $76,427.
- District of Columbia's GDP per capita is 3.4 times (243%) higher than North Carolina's.
Average income
- District of Columbia: $111,185 vs North Carolina: $65,634 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- District of Columbia's average income is 1.7 times (69%) higher than North Carolina's.
District of Columbia vs North Carolina Counties
Number of counties
- District of Columbia has 1 counties, while North Carolina has 100.
- North Carolina's county count is 100.0 times higher than District of Columbia's.
Biggest county by area
- District of Columbia's largest county is District of Columbia at 61 square miles; North Carolina's is Robeson County at 947 square miles.
- Robeson County's land area is 15.5 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Smallest county by area
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (61 sq mi) vs North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi).
- Chowan County's land area is 2.8 times (183%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Most populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people).
- Wake County's population is 1.8 times (75%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Least populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people).
- District of Columbia's population is 199.7 times larger than Tyrrell County's.
Richest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638).
- District of Columbia's income is 1.2 times (21%) richer than Chatham County's.
Poorest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932).
- District of Columbia's income is 2.7 times (172%) richer than Warren County's.
District of Columbia vs North Carolina Taxes
State income tax
- District of Columbia has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%.
- District of Columbia's top rate is 6.76 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- District of Columbia: 0.63% effective rate vs North Carolina: 0.61% of home value per year.
- District of Columbia's rate is 0.02 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- District of Columbia: 6% combined state and average local rate vs North Carolina: 7.1%.
- North Carolina's combined rate is 1.1 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
District of Columbia official website · North Carolina official website
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More Size Comparisons
All District of Columbia size comparisons · All North Carolina 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.