The map above shows Massachusetts and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Massachusetts vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Massachusetts has a land area of 7,801 square miles (20,204 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Virginia's land area is 5.1 times (406%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Total area
- Massachusetts: 10,554 square miles (27,335 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Virginia's total area is 4.1 times (305%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Length
- Massachusetts is 123 miles (198 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Virginia's north-south length is 1.8 times (81%) longer than Massachusetts'.
Width
- Massachusetts spans 185 miles (297 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Virginia's east-west width is 2.5 times (152%) wider than Massachusetts'.
Highest point
- Massachusetts's highest point is Mount Greylock at 3,489 feet (1,063 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Rogers is 2,240 feet higher than Mount Greylock.
Lowest point
- Massachusetts's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
Massachusetts vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Massachusetts has a population of 7,136,171 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 1.2 times (23%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Population density
- Massachusetts: 914.8 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Massachusetts' population density is 4.1 times (310%) higher than Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Massachusetts's biggest city is Boston with 673,458 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Boston's population is 1.5 times (48%) larger than Virginia Beach's.
Largest metro area
- Massachusetts's largest metropolitan area is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517 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's population is 1.3 times (28%) larger than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area's.
History
- Massachusetts: Admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788, as the 6th state.
- Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state.
Massachusetts vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Massachusetts's GDP is $778.5 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Massachusetts and Virginia have about the same economic output.
GDP per capita
- Massachusetts: $109,095 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Massachusetts' GDP per capita is 1.3 times (26%) higher than Virginia's.
Average income
- Massachusetts: $93,607 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Massachusetts' average income is 1.2 times (21%) higher than Virginia's.
Massachusetts vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Massachusetts has 14 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 9.5 times (850%) higher than Massachusetts'.
Biggest county by area
- Massachusetts's largest county is Worcester County at 1,511 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Worcester County's land area is 1.6 times (56%) larger than Pittsylvania County's.
Smallest county by area
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (46 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Nantucket County's land area is 23.1 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Massachusetts: Middlesex County (1,668,956 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Middlesex County's population is 1.4 times (44%) larger than Fairfax County's.
Least populous county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (14,670 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Nantucket County's population is 6.2 times (525%) larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County ($129,250 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Nantucket County and Arlington County have about the same income.
Poorest county
- Massachusetts: Hampshire County ($65,432 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Hampshire County's income is 1.6 times (59%) richer than Sussex County's.
Massachusetts vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Massachusetts has a top income tax rate of 9%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Massachusetts's top rate is 3.25 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Massachusetts: 1% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Massachusetts's rate is 0.29 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Massachusetts: 6.25% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Massachusetts's combined rate is 0.48 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Massachusetts official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Massachusetts 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.