The map above shows South Dakota and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
South Dakota vs Virginia Geography
Land area: South Dakota has a land area of 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²). South Dakota's land area is 1.9 times (92%) larger than Virginia's.
Total area: South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water. South Dakota's total area is 1.8 times (80%) larger than Virginia's.
Length: South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km). South Dakota's north-south length is 2.0 times (99%) longer than Virginia's.
Width: South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km). Virginia's east-west width is 1.3 times (26%) wider than South Dakota's.
Highest point: South Dakota's highest point is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m). Black Elk Peak is 1,469 feet higher than Mount Rogers.
Lowest point: South Dakota's lowest point is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. Virginia's lowest point is 966 feet lower.
South Dakota vs Virginia Population and History
Population: South Dakota has a population of 924,669 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024). Virginia's population is 9.5 times (853%) larger than South Dakota's.
Population density: South Dakota: 12.2 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2. Virginia's population density is 18.3 times higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city: South Dakota's biggest city is Sioux Falls with 209,289 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808. Virginia Beach's population is 2.2 times (117%) larger than Sioux Falls'.
Largest metro area: South Dakota's largest metropolitan area is Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266 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 20.9 times larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History: South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th 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 101 years.
South Dakota vs Virginia Economy
GDP: South Dakota's GDP is $76.8 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion. Virginia's economic output is 9.9 times (892%) larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita: South Dakota: $83,052 per person vs Virginia: $86,451. South Dakota and Virginia have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income: South Dakota: $75,699 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income). South Dakota and Virginia have about the same average income.
South Dakota vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties: South Dakota has 66 counties, while Virginia has 133. Virginia's county count is 2.0 times (102%) higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest county by area: South Dakota's largest county is Meade County at 3,471 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles. Meade County's land area is 3.6 times (258%) larger than Pittsylvania County's.
Smallest county by area: South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi). Clay County's land area is 206.0 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county: South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people). Fairfax County's population is 5.6 times (456%) larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county: South Dakota: Jones County (874 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people). Highland County's population is 2.7 times (169%) larger than Jones County's.
Richest county: South Dakota: Union County ($146,712 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624). Union County's income is 1.1 times (11%) richer than Arlington County's.
Poorest county: South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032). Sussex County's income is 1.3 times (25%) richer than Ziebach County's.
South Dakota vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax: South Dakota has no state income tax, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%. Virginia's top rate is 5.75 percentage points higher.
Property tax: South Dakota: 1.02% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year. South Dakota's rate is 0.31 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: South Dakota: 6.11% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%. South Dakota's combined rate is 0.34 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
South Dakota official website · Virginia official website
More Size Comparisons
All South Dakota 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.