The map above shows Michigan and Washington side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Michigan vs Washington Geography
Land area
- Michigan has a land area of 56,611 square miles (146,622 km²), while Washington has 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²).
- Washington's land area is 1.2 times (17%) larger than Michigan's.
Total area
- Michigan: 96,713 square miles (250,486 km²) vs Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Michigan's total area is 1.4 times (36%) larger than Washington's.
Length
- Michigan is 489 miles (786 km) long from north to south; Washington is 238 miles (383 km).
- Michigan's north-south length is 2.1 times (105%) longer than Washington's.
Width
- Michigan spans 453 miles (728 km) east to west; Washington spans 399 miles (641 km).
- Michigan's east-west width is 1.1 times (14%) wider than Washington's.
Highest point
- Michigan's highest point is Mount Arvon at 2,014 feet (614 m); Washington's is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m).
- Mount Rainier is 12,395 feet higher than Mount Arvon.
Lowest point
- Michigan's lowest point is Lake Erie at 571 feet; Washington's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- Washington's lowest point is 571 feet lower.
Michigan vs Washington Population and History
Population
- Michigan has a population of 10,140,459 (2024), while Washington has 7,958,180 (2024).
- Michigan's population is 1.3 times (27%) larger than Washington's.
Population density
- Michigan: 179.1 people per square mile vs Washington: 119.8.
- Michigan's population density is 1.5 times (49%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest city
- Michigan's biggest city is Detroit with 645,705 people; Washington's is Seattle with 780,995.
- Seattle's population is 1.2 times (21%) larger than Detroit's.
Largest metro area
- Michigan's largest metropolitan area is Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (4,400,578 people) vs Washington's Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494).
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area's population is 1.1 times (6%) larger than Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's.
History
- Michigan: Admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state.
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state.
- In its current form, Michigan is the older of the two by 52 years.
Michigan vs Washington Economy
GDP
- Michigan's GDP is $702.5 billion (2024) vs Washington's $856.0 billion.
- Washington's economic output is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Michigan's.
GDP per capita
- Michigan: $69,274 per person vs Washington: $107,564.
- Washington's GDP per capita is 1.6 times (55%) higher than Michigan's.
Average income
- Michigan: $63,690 vs Washington: $85,187 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Washington's average income is 1.3 times (34%) higher than Michigan's.
Michigan vs Washington Counties
Number of counties
- Michigan has 83 counties, while Washington has 39.
- Michigan's county count is 2.1 times (113%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest county by area
- Michigan's largest county is Marquette County at 1,809 square miles; Washington's is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles.
- Okanogan County's land area is 2.9 times (191%) larger than Marquette County's.
Smallest county by area
- Michigan: Benzie County (320 sq mi) vs Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi).
- Benzie County's land area is 1.8 times (84%) larger than San Juan County's.
Most populous county
- Michigan: Wayne County (1,771,063 people) vs Washington: King County (2,340,211 people).
- King County's population is 1.3 times (32%) larger than Wayne County's.
Least populous county
- Michigan: Keweenaw County (2,161 people) vs Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people).
- Garfield County's population is 1.1 times (11%) larger than Keweenaw County's.
Richest county
- Michigan: Oakland County ($93,579 per capita income) vs Washington: King County ($128,684).
- King County's income is 1.4 times (38%) richer than Oakland County's.
Poorest county
- Michigan: Lake County ($39,505 per capita income) vs Washington: Ferry County ($50,456).
- Ferry County's income is 1.3 times (28%) richer than Lake County's.
Michigan vs Washington Taxes
State income tax
- Michigan has a top income tax rate of 4.25%, while Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only.
Property tax
- Michigan: 1.18% effective rate vs Washington: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Michigan's rate is 0.39 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Michigan: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Washington: 9.57%.
- Washington's combined rate is 3.57 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Michigan official website · Washington official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Michigan size comparisons · All Washington 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.