The map above shows North Carolina and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Carolina vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- North Carolina has a land area of 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- North Carolina's land area is 2.0 times (102%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- North Carolina's total area is 2.2 times (122%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- North Carolina's north-south length is 1.1 times (5%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- North Carolina's east-west width is 1.8 times (76%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- North Carolina's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Mount Mitchell is 1,811 feet higher than Spruce Knob.
Lowest point
- North Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- North Carolina's lowest point is 240 feet lower.
North Carolina vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- North Carolina has a population of 11,046,024 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- North Carolina's population is 6.2 times (524%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- North Carolina: 227.2 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- North Carolina's population density is 3.1 times (209%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- North Carolina's biggest city is Charlotte with 943,476 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Charlotte's population is 20.3 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- North Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 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 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.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 74 years.
North Carolina vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- North Carolina's GDP is $844.2 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- North Carolina's economic output is 7.9 times (693%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- North Carolina: $76,427 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- North Carolina's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (27%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- North Carolina: $65,634 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- North Carolina's average income is 1.2 times (19%) higher than West Virginia's.
North Carolina vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- North Carolina has 100 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- North Carolina's county count is 1.8 times (82%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- North Carolina's largest county is Robeson County at 947 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Randolph County's land area is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Robeson County's.
Smallest county by area
- North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Chowan County's land area is 2.1 times (109%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Wake County's population is 7.1 times (609%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 1.4 times (40%) larger than Tyrrell County's.
Richest county
- North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Chatham County's income is 1.3 times (30%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Warren County's income is 1.2 times (17%) richer than Webster County's.
North Carolina vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 0.83 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- North Carolina: 0.61% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- North Carolina's rate is 0.09 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- North Carolina: 7.1% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- North Carolina's combined rate is 0.5 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
North Carolina official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All North Carolina 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.