The map above shows Kentucky and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kentucky vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Kentucky has a land area of 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Kentucky's land area is 1.6 times (64%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Kentucky's total area is 1.7 times (67%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Kentucky's north-south length is 1.0 times (5%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Kentucky's east-west width is 1.5 times (51%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 729 feet higher than Black Mountain.
Lowest point
- Kentucky's lowest point is Mississippi River at 270 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 30 feet lower.
Kentucky vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Kentucky has a population of 4,588,372 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Kentucky's population is 2.6 times (159%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Kentucky: 116.2 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Kentucky's population density is 1.6 times (58%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Kentucky's biggest city is Louisville with 640,796 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Louisville's population is 13.8 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Kentucky's largest metropolitan area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815 people) vs West Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's population is 2.8 times (180%) larger than Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's.
History
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 71 years.
Kentucky vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Kentucky's GDP is $295.4 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Kentucky's economic output is 2.8 times (177%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Kentucky: $64,375 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Kentucky's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (7%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Kentucky: $58,256 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Kentucky's average income is 1.1 times (5%) higher than West Virginia's.
Kentucky vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Kentucky has 120 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Kentucky's county count is 2.2 times (118%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Kentucky's largest county is Pike County at 786 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Randolph County's land area is 1.3 times (32%) larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Gallatin County's land area is 1.2 times (19%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Jefferson County's population is 4.6 times (357%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 2.1 times (107%) larger than Robertson County's.
Richest county
- Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Oldham County's income is 1.2 times (24%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Webster County's income is 1.1 times (10%) richer than Elliott County's.
Kentucky vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 1.32 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Kentucky: 0.71% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Kentucky's rate is 0.19 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Kentucky: 6% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- West Virginia's combined rate is 0.6 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Kentucky official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Kentucky 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.