The map above shows South Carolina and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
South Carolina vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- South Carolina has a land area of 30,064 square miles (77,866 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- South Carolina's land area is 1.3 times (25%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- South Carolina: 32,024 square miles (82,940 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- South Carolina's total area is 1.3 times (32%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- South Carolina is 236 miles (380 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- South Carolina and West Virginia have about the same north-south length.
Width
- South Carolina spans 279 miles (449 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- South Carolina and West Virginia have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- South Carolina's highest point is Sassafras Mountain at 3,497 feet (1,066 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Spruce Knob is 1,366 feet higher than Sassafras Mountain.
Lowest point
- South Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- South Carolina's lowest point is 240 feet lower.
South Carolina vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- South Carolina has a population of 5,478,831 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- South Carolina's population is 3.1 times (210%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- South Carolina: 182.2 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- South Carolina's population density is 2.5 times (148%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- South Carolina's biggest city is Charleston with 157,665 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Charleston's population is 3.4 times (239%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- South 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
- South Carolina: Admitted to the Union on May 23, 1788, as the 8th state.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, South Carolina is the older of the two by 75 years.
South Carolina vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- South Carolina's GDP is $357.1 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- South Carolina's economic output is 3.4 times (235%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- South Carolina: $65,173 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- South Carolina's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (8%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- South Carolina: $60,776 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- South Carolina's average income is 1.1 times (10%) higher than West Virginia's.
South Carolina vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- South Carolina has 46 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- West Virginia's county count is 1.2 times (20%) higher than South Carolina's.
Biggest county by area
- South Carolina's largest county is Horry County at 1,133 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Horry County's land area is 1.1 times (9%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- South Carolina: McCormick County (359 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- McCormick County's land area is 4.3 times (335%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- South Carolina: Greenville County (570,745 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Greenville County's population is 3.3 times (228%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- South Carolina: Allendale County (7,551 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Allendale County's population is 1.5 times (53%) larger than Wirt County's.
Richest county
- South Carolina: Charleston County ($90,550 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Charleston County's income is 1.3 times (28%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- South Carolina: Marlboro County ($41,332 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Marlboro County's income is 1.2 times (18%) richer than Webster County's.
South Carolina vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- South Carolina has a top income tax rate of 6%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- South Carolina's top rate is 1.18 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- South Carolina: 0.45% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- West Virginia's rate is 0.07 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- South Carolina: 7.49% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- South Carolina's combined rate is 0.89 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
South Carolina official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All South 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.