The map above shows Montana and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Montana vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Montana has a land area of 145,550 square miles (376,973 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Montana's land area is 6.1 times (505%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Montana: 147,043 square miles (380,840 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Montana's total area is 6.1 times (507%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Montana is 319 miles (514 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Montana's north-south length is 1.3 times (30%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- Montana spans 607 miles (976 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Montana's east-west width is 2.2 times (120%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Montana's highest point is Granite Peak at 12,767 feet (3,891 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Granite Peak is 7,904 feet higher than Spruce Knob.
Lowest point
- Montana's lowest point is Kootenai River at 1,805 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 1,565 feet lower.
Montana vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Montana has a population of 1,137,233 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- West Virginia's population is 1.6 times (56%) larger than Montana's.
Population density
- Montana: 7.8 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- West Virginia's population density is 9.4 times (844%) higher than Montana's.
Biggest city
- Montana's biggest city is Billings with 121,483 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Billings' population is 2.6 times (161%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Montana's largest metropolitan area is Billings, MT metro area (192,531 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 33.4 times larger than Billings, MT metro area's.
History
- Montana: Admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889, as the 41st state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, West Virginia is the older of the two by 26 years.
Montana vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Montana's GDP is $78.4 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- West Virginia's economic output is 1.4 times (36%) larger than Montana's.
GDP per capita
- Montana: $68,975 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Montana's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (15%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Montana: $69,240 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Montana's average income is 1.3 times (25%) higher than West Virginia's.
Montana vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Montana has 56 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Montana and West Virginia have about the same county count.
Biggest county by area
- Montana's largest county is Beaverhead County at 5,543 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Beaverhead County's land area is 5.3 times (433%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Montana: Silver Bow County (718 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Silver Bow County's land area is 8.7 times (769%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Montana: Yellowstone County (171,583 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Yellowstone County and Kanawha County have about the same population.
Least populous county
- Montana: Petroleum County (525 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 9.4 times (838%) larger than Petroleum County's.
Richest county
- Montana: Gallatin County ($94,573 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Gallatin County's income is 1.3 times (34%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Montana: Blaine County ($37,554 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Blaine County's income is 1.1 times (7%) richer than Webster County's.
Montana vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Montana has a top income tax rate of 5.65%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- Montana's top rate is 0.83 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Montana: 0.69% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Montana's rate is 0.17 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Montana: 0% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- West Virginia's combined rate is 6.6 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Montana official website · West Virginia official website
Download the Montana vs West Virginia Size Comparison Map for free
To download the map, right-click the image above (or press and hold on a phone or tablet) and choose Save image as. The map is free to use anywhere, including on your own website or in print, as long as you credit it with a link back to this page or to BrilliantMaps.com.
More Size Comparisons
All Montana 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.