The map above shows Illinois and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Illinois vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Illinois has a land area of 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Illinois' land area is 2.3 times (131%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Illinois' total area is 2.4 times (139%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Illinois is 390 miles (628 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Illinois' north-south length is 1.6 times (59%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Illinois and West Virginia have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- Illinois's highest point is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 3,631 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- Illinois's lowest point is Mississippi River at 292 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 52 feet lower.
Illinois vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Illinois has a population of 12,710,158 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Illinois' population is 7.2 times (618%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Illinois: 229.0 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Illinois' population density is 3.1 times (211%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Illinois's biggest city is Chicago with 2,721,308 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Chicago's population is 58.5 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Illinois's largest metropolitan area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576 people) vs West 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.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Illinois is the older of the two by 45 years.
Illinois vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Illinois's GDP is $1,148.1 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Illinois' economic output is 10.8 times larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Illinois: $90,330 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Illinois' GDP per capita is 1.5 times (50%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Illinois: $74,522 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Illinois' average income is 1.3 times (35%) higher than West Virginia's.
Illinois vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Illinois has 102 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Illinois' county count is 1.9 times (85%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Illinois's largest county is McLean County at 1,183 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- McLean County's land area is 1.1 times (14%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Putnam County's land area is 1.9 times (94%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Cook County's population is 29.8 times larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 1.4 times (39%) larger than Hardin County's.
Richest county
- Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Cumberland County's income is 1.5 times (49%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Lawrence County's income is 1.2 times (24%) richer than Webster County's.
Illinois vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- Illinois's top rate is 0.13 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Illinois: 1.92% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 1.4 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Illinois: 8.98% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Illinois's combined rate is 2.38 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Illinois official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Illinois size comparisons · All West 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.