The map above shows District of Columbia and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- District of Columbia has a land area of 61 square miles (158 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Virginia's land area is 647.2 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Total area
- District of Columbia: 68 square miles (177 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Virginia's total area is 625.9 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Length
- District of Columbia is 13 miles (22 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Virginia's north-south length is 17.2 times longer than District of Columbia's.
Width
- District of Columbia spans 12 miles (19 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Virginia's east-west width is 38.8 times wider than District of Columbia's.
Highest point
- District of Columbia's highest point is Fort Reno at 429 feet (131 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Rogers is 5,300 feet higher than Fort Reno.
Lowest point
- District of Columbia's lowest point is Potomac River at 0 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- District of Columbia has a population of 702,250 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 12.5 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Population density
- District of Columbia: 11,493.5 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- District of Columbia's population density is 51.5 times higher than Virginia's.
Biggest city
- District of Columbia's biggest city is Washington with 702,250 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Washington's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Virginia Beach'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 Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area have about the same population.
History
- District of Columbia: The federal district, established by the Residence Act on July 16, 1790; not a state.
- Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state.
- In its current form, Virginia is the older of the two by 2 years.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- District of Columbia's GDP is $184.3 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Virginia's economic output is 4.1 times (313%) larger than District of Columbia's.
GDP per capita
- District of Columbia: $262,439 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- District of Columbia's GDP per capita is 3.0 times (204%) higher than Virginia's.
Average income
- District of Columbia: $111,185 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- District of Columbia's average income is 1.4 times (44%) higher than Virginia's.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- District of Columbia has 1 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 133.0 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; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Pittsylvania County's land area is 15.9 times larger than District of Columbia's.
Smallest county by area
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (61 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- District of Columbia's land area is 30.6 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Fairfax County's population is 1.7 times (65%) larger than District of Columbia's.
Least populous county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia (702,250 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- District of Columbia's population is 299.1 times larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Arlington County's income is 1.2 times (18%) richer than District of Columbia's.
Poorest county
- District of Columbia: District of Columbia ($111,185 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- District of Columbia's income is 2.7 times (171%) richer than Sussex County's.
District of Columbia vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- District of Columbia has a top income tax rate of 10.75%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- District of Columbia's top rate is 5 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- District of Columbia: 0.63% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Virginia's rate is 0.08 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- District of Columbia: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- District of Columbia's combined rate is 0.23 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
District of Columbia official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All District of Columbia 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.