The map above shows Rhode Island and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Rhode Island vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Rhode Island has a land area of 1,034 square miles (2,678 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Virginia's land area is 38.2 times larger than Rhode Island's.
Total area
- Rhode Island: 1,545 square miles (4,002 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Virginia's total area is 27.7 times larger than Rhode Island's.
Length
- Rhode Island is 61 miles (98 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Virginia's north-south length is 3.7 times (266%) longer than Rhode Island's.
Width
- Rhode Island spans 42 miles (67 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Virginia's east-west width is 11.1 times wider than Rhode Island's.
Highest point
- Rhode Island's highest point is Jerimoth Hill at 811 feet (247 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Rogers is 4,918 feet higher than Jerimoth Hill.
Lowest point
- Rhode Island'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.
Rhode Island vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Rhode Island has a population of 1,112,308 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 7.9 times (692%) larger than Rhode Island's.
Population density
- Rhode Island: 1,075.8 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Rhode Island's population density is 4.8 times (382%) higher than Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Rhode Island's biggest city is Providence with 194,706 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Virginia Beach's population is 2.3 times (134%) larger than Providence's.
Largest metro area
- Rhode Island's largest metropolitan area is Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (1,700,901 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 3.8 times (278%) larger than Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area's.
History
- Rhode Island: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1790, as the 13th 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 2 years.
Rhode Island vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Rhode Island's GDP is $80.4 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Virginia's economic output is 9.5 times (847%) larger than Rhode Island's.
GDP per capita
- Rhode Island: $72,265 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Virginia's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (20%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Average income
- Rhode Island: $70,622 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Virginia's average income is 1.1 times (10%) higher than Rhode Island's.
Rhode Island vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Rhode Island has 5 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 26.6 times higher than Rhode Island's.
Biggest county by area
- Rhode Island's largest county is Providence County at 410 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Pittsylvania County's land area is 2.4 times (137%) larger than Providence County's.
Smallest county by area
- Rhode Island: Bristol County (24 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Bristol County's land area is 12.1 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Rhode Island: Providence County (675,912 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Fairfax County's population is 1.7 times (72%) larger than Providence County's.
Least populous county
- Rhode Island: Bristol County (50,145 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Bristol County's population is 21.4 times larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- Rhode Island: Bristol County ($99,923 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Arlington County's income is 1.3 times (32%) richer than Bristol County's.
Poorest county
- Rhode Island: Providence County ($61,040 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Providence County's income is 1.5 times (49%) richer than Sussex County's.
Rhode Island vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Rhode Island has a top income tax rate of 5.99%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- Rhode Island's top rate is 0.24 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Rhode Island: 1.07% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Rhode Island's rate is 0.36 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Rhode Island: 7% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Rhode Island's combined rate is 1.23 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Rhode Island official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Rhode Island 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.