The map above shows North Carolina and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Carolina vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- North Carolina has a land area of 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- North Carolina's land area is 1.2 times (23%) larger than Virginia's.
Total area
- North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- North Carolina's total area is 1.3 times (26%) larger than Virginia's.
Length
- North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- North Carolina's north-south length is 1.2 times (16%) longer than Virginia's.
Width
- North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- North Carolina and Virginia have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- North Carolina's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Mitchell is 945 feet higher than Mount Rogers.
Lowest point
- North Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
North Carolina vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- North Carolina has a population of 11,046,024 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- North Carolina's population is 1.3 times (25%) larger than Virginia's.
Population density
- North Carolina: 227.2 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- North Carolina and Virginia have about the same population density.
Biggest city
- North Carolina's biggest city is Charlotte with 943,476 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Charlotte's population is 2.1 times (107%) larger than Virginia Beach's.
Largest metro area
- North Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 people) vs 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 2.2 times (123%) larger than Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's.
History
- North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state.
- Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state.
- In its current form, Virginia is the older of the two by 1 years.
North Carolina vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- North Carolina's GDP is $844.2 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- North Carolina's economic output is 1.1 times (11%) larger than Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- North Carolina: $76,427 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Virginia's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (13%) higher than North Carolina's.
Average income
- North Carolina: $65,634 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Virginia's average income is 1.2 times (18%) higher than North Carolina's.
North Carolina vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- North Carolina has 100 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 1.3 times (33%) higher than North Carolina's.
Biggest county by area
- North Carolina's largest county is Robeson County at 947 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Robeson County and Pittsylvania County have about the same land area.
Smallest county by area
- North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Chowan County's land area is 86.4 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Wake County's population is 1.1 times (6%) larger than Fairfax County's.
Least populous county
- North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Tyrrell County's population is 1.5 times (50%) larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Arlington County's income is 1.4 times (44%) richer than Chatham County's.
Poorest county
- North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Warren County and Sussex County have about the same income.
North Carolina vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Virginia's top rate is 1.76 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- North Carolina: 0.61% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Virginia's rate is 0.1 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- North Carolina: 7.1% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- North Carolina's combined rate is 1.33 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
North Carolina official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All North Carolina size comparisons · All 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.