The map above shows Minnesota and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Minnesota vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Minnesota has a land area of 79,632 square miles (206,245 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Minnesota's land area is 3.3 times (231%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Minnesota: 86,943 square miles (225,182 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Minnesota's total area is 3.6 times (259%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Minnesota is 408 miles (657 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Minnesota's north-south length is 1.7 times (67%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Minnesota spans 360 miles (580 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Minnesota's east-west width is 1.3 times (30%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Minnesota's highest point is Eagle Mountain at 2,292 feet (699 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 2,571 feet higher than Eagle Mountain.
Lowest point
- Minnesota's lowest point is Lake Superior at 601 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 361 feet lower.
Minnesota vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Minnesota has a population of 5,793,151 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Minnesota's population is 3.3 times (227%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Minnesota: 72.7 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Minnesota and West Virginia have about the same population density.
Biggest city
- Minnesota's biggest city is Minneapolis with 428,579 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Minneapolis' population is 9.2 times (822%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Minnesota's largest metropolitan area is Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952 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 1.7 times (71%) larger than Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area's.
History
- Minnesota: Admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Minnesota is the older of the two by 5 years.
Minnesota vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Minnesota's GDP is $507.7 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Minnesota's economic output is 4.8 times (377%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Minnesota: $87,636 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Minnesota's GDP per capita is 1.5 times (46%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Minnesota: $75,603 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Minnesota's average income is 1.4 times (37%) higher than West Virginia's.
Minnesota vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Minnesota has 87 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Minnesota's county count is 1.6 times (58%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Minnesota's largest county is St. Louis County at 6,248 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- St. Louis County's land area is 6.0 times (501%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Minnesota: Ramsey County (152 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Ramsey County's land area is 1.8 times (84%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Minnesota: Hennepin County (1,273,334 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Hennepin County's population is 7.3 times (632%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Minnesota: Traverse County (3,134 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 1.6 times (57%) larger than Traverse County's.
Richest county
- Minnesota: Hennepin County ($100,352 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Hennepin County's income is 1.4 times (42%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Minnesota: Pine County ($48,677 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Pine County's income is 1.4 times (39%) richer than Webster County's.
Minnesota vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Minnesota has a top income tax rate of 9.85%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- Minnesota's top rate is 5.03 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Minnesota: 1.02% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Minnesota's rate is 0.5 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Minnesota: 8.14% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Minnesota's combined rate is 1.54 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Minnesota official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Minnesota 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.