The map above shows North Dakota and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Dakota vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- North Dakota has a land area of 68,994 square miles (178,694 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- North Dakota's land area is 2.9 times (187%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- North Dakota: 70,699 square miles (183,109 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- North Dakota's total area is 2.9 times (192%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- North Dakota is 338 miles (544 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- North Dakota's north-south length is 1.4 times (38%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- North Dakota spans 408 miles (657 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- North Dakota's east-west width is 1.5 times (48%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- North Dakota's highest point is White Butte at 3,500 feet (1,067 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 1,363 feet higher than White Butte.
Lowest point
- North Dakota's lowest point is Red River of the North at 754 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 514 feet lower.
North Dakota vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- North Dakota has a population of 796,568 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- West Virginia's population is 2.2 times (122%) larger than North Dakota's.
Population density
- North Dakota: 11.5 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- West Virginia's population density is 6.4 times (540%) higher than North Dakota's.
Biggest city
- North Dakota's biggest city is Fargo with 136,285 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Fargo's population is 2.9 times (193%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- North Dakota's largest metropolitan area is Fargo, ND-MN metro area (267,793 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 24.0 times larger than Fargo, ND-MN metro area's.
History
- North Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 39th 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.
North Dakota vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- North Dakota's GDP is $80.1 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- West Virginia's economic output is 1.3 times (33%) larger than North Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- North Dakota: $100,504 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- North Dakota's GDP per capita is 1.7 times (67%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- North Dakota: $71,749 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- North Dakota's average income is 1.3 times (30%) higher than West Virginia's.
North Dakota vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- North Dakota has 53 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- North Dakota and West Virginia have about the same county count.
Biggest county by area
- North Dakota's largest county is McKenzie County at 2,760 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- McKenzie County's land area is 2.7 times (165%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- North Dakota: Eddy County (630 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Eddy County's land area is 7.6 times (663%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- North Dakota: Cass County (200,945 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Cass County's population is 1.2 times (16%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- North Dakota: Slope County (660 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 7.5 times (646%) larger than Slope County's.
Richest county
- North Dakota: Dunn County ($99,793 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Dunn County's income is 1.4 times (41%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- North Dakota: Sioux County ($33,782 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Sioux County and Webster County have about the same income.
North Dakota vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- North Dakota has a top income tax rate of 2.5%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 2.32 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- North Dakota: 0.96% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- North Dakota's rate is 0.44 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- North Dakota: 7.09% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- North Dakota's combined rate is 0.49 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
North Dakota official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All North Dakota 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.