The map above shows Illinois and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Illinois' land area is 1.4 times (41%) larger than Virginia's.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Illinois' total area is 1.4 times (35%) larger than Virginia's.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 1.7 times (75%) longer than Virginia's.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Virginia's east-west width is 1.6 times (65%) wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Rogers is 4,497 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Virginia's lowest point is 292 feet lower.
Illinois vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 1.4 times (44%) larger than Virginia's.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Illinois and Virginia have about the same population density.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Chicago's population is 6.0 times (498%) larger than Virginia Beach's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's population is 1.5 times (46%) larger than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's.
History
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st 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 30 years.
Illinois vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 1.5 times (51%) larger than Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Illinois and Virginia have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois and Virginia have about the same average income.
Illinois vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Illinois has 102 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 1.3 times (30%) higher than Illinois'.
Biggest county by area
- Illinois's largest county is McLean County at 1,183 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- McLean County's land area is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Pittsylvania County's.
Smallest county by area
- Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Putnam County's land area is 80.1 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Cook County's population is 4.5 times (346%) larger than Fairfax County's.
Least populous county
- Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Hardin County's population is 1.5 times (51%) larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Arlington County's income is 1.3 times (25%) richer than Cumberland County's.
Poorest county
- Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Lawrence County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Sussex County's.
Illinois vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Virginia's top rate is 0.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Illinois: 1.92% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 1.21 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Illinois: 8.98% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 3.21 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois 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.