The map above shows North Carolina and Washington side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Carolina vs Washington Geography
Land area
- North Carolina has a land area of 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²), while Washington has 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²).
- Washington's land area is 1.4 times (37%) larger than North Carolina's.
Total area
- North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²) vs Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Washington's total area is 1.3 times (32%) larger than North Carolina's.
Length
- North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km) long from north to south; Washington is 238 miles (383 km).
- North Carolina's north-south length is 1.1 times (8%) longer than Washington's.
Width
- North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km) east to west; Washington spans 399 miles (641 km).
- North Carolina's east-west width is 1.2 times (22%) wider than Washington's.
Highest point
- North Carolina's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m); Washington's is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m).
- Mount Rainier is 7,735 feet higher than Mount Mitchell.
Lowest point
- North Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Washington's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
North Carolina vs Washington Population and History
Population
- North Carolina has a population of 11,046,024 (2024), while Washington has 7,958,180 (2024).
- North Carolina's population is 1.4 times (39%) larger than Washington's.
Population density
- North Carolina: 227.2 people per square mile vs Washington: 119.8.
- North Carolina's population density is 1.9 times (90%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest city
- North Carolina's biggest city is Charlotte with 943,476 people; Washington's is Seattle with 780,995.
- Charlotte's population is 1.2 times (21%) larger than Seattle's.
Largest metro area
- North Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 people) vs Washington's Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494).
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's population is 1.4 times (44%) 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.
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state.
- In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 100 years.
North Carolina vs Washington Economy
GDP
- North Carolina's GDP is $844.2 billion (2024) vs Washington's $856.0 billion.
- North Carolina and Washington have about the same economic output.
GDP per capita
- North Carolina: $76,427 per person vs Washington: $107,564.
- Washington's GDP per capita is 1.4 times (41%) higher than North Carolina's.
Average income
- North Carolina: $65,634 vs Washington: $85,187 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Washington's average income is 1.3 times (30%) higher than North Carolina's.
North Carolina vs Washington Counties
Number of counties
- North Carolina has 100 counties, while Washington has 39.
- North Carolina's county count is 2.6 times (156%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest county by area
- North Carolina's largest county is Robeson County at 947 square miles; Washington's is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles.
- Okanogan County's land area is 5.6 times (456%) larger than Robeson County's.
Smallest county by area
- North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi) vs Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi).
- Chowan County and San Juan County have about the same land area.
Most populous county
- North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people) vs Washington: King County (2,340,211 people).
- King County's population is 1.9 times (90%) larger than Wake County's.
Least populous county
- North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people) vs Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people).
- Tyrrell County's population is 1.5 times (46%) larger than Garfield County's.
Richest county
- North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638 per capita income) vs Washington: King County ($128,684).
- King County's income is 1.4 times (40%) richer than Chatham County's.
Poorest county
- North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932 per capita income) vs Washington: Ferry County ($50,456).
- Ferry County's income is 1.2 times (23%) richer than Warren County's.
North Carolina vs Washington Taxes
State income tax
- North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%, while Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only.
Property tax
- North Carolina: 0.61% effective rate vs Washington: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Washington's rate is 0.18 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- North Carolina: 7.1% combined state and average local rate vs Washington: 9.57%.
- Washington's combined rate is 2.47 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
North Carolina official website · Washington official website
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More Size Comparisons
All North Carolina 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.