The map above shows Indiana and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Indiana vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Indiana has a land area of 35,825 square miles (92,787 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Indiana's land area is 1.5 times (49%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Indiana: 36,421 square miles (94,331 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Indiana's total area is 1.5 times (50%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Indiana is 276 miles (444 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Indiana's north-south length is 1.1 times (13%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Indiana spans 193 miles (310 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- West Virginia's east-west width is 1.4 times (43%) wider than Indiana's.
Highest point
- Indiana's highest point is Hoosier Hill at 1,255 feet (383 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 3,608 feet higher than Hoosier Hill.
Lowest point
- Indiana's lowest point is Ohio River at 330 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 90 feet lower.
Indiana vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Indiana has a population of 6,924,275 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Indiana's population is 3.9 times (291%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Indiana: 193.3 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Indiana's population density is 2.6 times (163%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Indiana's biggest city is Indianapolis with 891,484 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Indianapolis' population is 19.2 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Indiana'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
- Indiana: Admitted to the Union on December 11, 1816, as the 19th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Indiana is the older of the two by 47 years.
Indiana vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Indiana's GDP is $519.5 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Indiana's economic output is 4.9 times (388%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Indiana: $75,028 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Indiana's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (25%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Indiana: $64,077 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Indiana's average income is 1.2 times (16%) higher than West Virginia's.
Indiana vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Indiana has 92 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Indiana's county count is 1.7 times (67%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Indiana's largest county is Allen County at 657 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Randolph County's land area is 1.6 times (58%) larger than Allen County's.
Smallest county by area
- Indiana: Ohio County (86 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Ohio County and Hancock County have about the same land area.
Most populous county
- Indiana: Marion County (981,628 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Marion County's population is 5.6 times (464%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Indiana: Ohio County (5,996 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Ohio County's population is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Wirt County's.
Richest county
- Indiana: Hamilton County ($104,283 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Hamilton County's income is 1.5 times (48%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Indiana: Miami County ($44,940 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Miami County's income is 1.3 times (28%) richer than Webster County's.
Indiana vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Indiana has a top income tax rate of 2.95%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 1.87 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Indiana: 0.74% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Indiana's rate is 0.22 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Indiana: 7% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Indiana's combined rate is 0.4 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Indiana official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Indiana 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.