The map above shows Mississippi and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Mississippi vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Mississippi has a land area of 46,925 square miles (121,534 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Mississippi's land area is 2.0 times (95%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Mississippi: 48,436 square miles (125,448 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Mississippi's total area is 2.0 times (100%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Mississippi is 337 miles (542 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Mississippi's north-south length is 1.4 times (38%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Mississippi spans 340 miles (547 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Mississippi's east-west width is 1.2 times (23%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Mississippi's highest point is Woodall Mountain at 805 feet (245 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 4,058 feet higher than Woodall Mountain.
Lowest point
- Mississippi's lowest point is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Mississippi's lowest point is 240 feet lower.
Mississippi vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Mississippi has a population of 2,943,045 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Mississippi's population is 1.7 times (66%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Mississippi: 62.7 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- West Virginia's population density is 1.2 times (17%) higher than Mississippi's.
Biggest city
- Mississippi's biggest city is Jackson with 141,449 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Jackson's population is 3.0 times (204%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Mississippi's largest metropolitan area is Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (1,339,345 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 4.8 times (381%) larger than Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area's.
History
- Mississippi: Admitted to the Union on December 10, 1817, as the 20th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Mississippi is the older of the two by 46 years.
Mississippi vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Mississippi's GDP is $158.2 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Mississippi's economic output is 1.5 times (49%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Mississippi: $53,751 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- West Virginia's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Mississippi's.
Average income
- Mississippi: $52,074 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- West Virginia's average income is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Mississippi's.
Mississippi vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Mississippi has 82 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Mississippi's county count is 1.5 times (49%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Mississippi's largest county is Yazoo County at 922 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Randolph County's land area is 1.1 times (13%) larger than Yazoo County's.
Smallest county by area
- Mississippi: Alcorn County (400 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Alcorn County's land area is 4.8 times (384%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Mississippi: Harrison County (213,730 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Harrison County's population is 1.2 times (23%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Mississippi: Issaquena County (1,295 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 3.8 times (280%) larger than Issaquena County's.
Richest county
- Mississippi: Madison County ($90,668 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Madison County's income is 1.3 times (29%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Mississippi: Issaquena County ($27,264 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Webster County's income is 1.3 times (29%) richer than Issaquena County's.
Mississippi vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Mississippi has a top income tax rate of 4%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 0.82 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Mississippi: 0.65% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Mississippi's rate is 0.13 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Mississippi: 7.06% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Mississippi's combined rate is 0.46 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Mississippi official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Mississippi 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.