The map above shows Massachusetts and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Massachusetts vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Massachusetts has a land area of 7,801 square miles (20,204 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- West Virginia's land area is 3.1 times (208%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Total area
- Massachusetts: 10,554 square miles (27,335 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- West Virginia's total area is 2.3 times (130%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Length
- Massachusetts is 123 miles (198 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- West Virginia's north-south length is 2.0 times (99%) longer than Massachusetts'.
Width
- Massachusetts spans 185 miles (297 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- West Virginia's east-west width is 1.5 times (49%) wider than Massachusetts'.
Highest point
- Massachusetts's highest point is Mount Greylock at 3,489 feet (1,063 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 1,374 feet higher than Mount Greylock.
Lowest point
- Massachusetts's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Massachusetts's lowest point is 240 feet lower.
Massachusetts vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Massachusetts has a population of 7,136,171 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Massachusetts' population is 4.0 times (303%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Massachusetts: 914.8 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Massachusetts' population density is 12.4 times higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Massachusetts's biggest city is Boston with 673,458 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Boston's population is 14.5 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Massachusetts's largest metropolitan area is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517 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 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.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Massachusetts is the older of the two by 75 years.
Massachusetts vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Massachusetts's GDP is $778.5 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Massachusetts' economic output is 7.3 times (631%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Massachusetts: $109,095 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Massachusetts' GDP per capita is 1.8 times (81%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Massachusetts: $93,607 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Massachusetts' average income is 1.7 times (69%) higher than West Virginia's.
Massachusetts vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Massachusetts has 14 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- West Virginia's county count is 3.9 times (293%) higher than Massachusetts'.
Biggest county by area
- Massachusetts's largest county is Worcester County at 1,511 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Worcester County's land area is 1.5 times (45%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (46 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Hancock County's land area is 1.8 times (79%) larger than Nantucket County's.
Most populous county
- Massachusetts: Middlesex County (1,668,956 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Middlesex County's population is 9.6 times (860%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (14,670 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Nantucket County's population is 3.0 times (198%) larger than Wirt County's.
Richest county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County ($129,250 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Nantucket County's income is 1.8 times (83%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Massachusetts: Hampshire County ($65,432 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Hampshire County's income is 1.9 times (87%) richer than Webster County's.
Massachusetts vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Massachusetts has a top income tax rate of 9%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- Massachusetts's top rate is 4.18 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Massachusetts: 1% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Massachusetts's rate is 0.48 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Massachusetts: 6.25% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- West Virginia's combined rate is 0.35 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Massachusetts official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Massachusetts 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.