The map above shows South Dakota and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
South Dakota vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- South Dakota has a land area of 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- South Dakota's land area is 3.2 times (215%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- South Dakota's total area is 3.2 times (218%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- South Dakota's north-south length is 1.8 times (81%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- South Dakota's east-west width is 1.3 times (34%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- South Dakota's highest point is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Black Elk Peak is 2,335 feet higher than Spruce Knob.
Lowest point
- South Dakota's lowest point is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 726 feet lower.
South Dakota vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- South Dakota has a population of 924,669 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- West Virginia's population is 1.9 times (91%) larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- South Dakota: 12.2 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- West Virginia's population density is 6.0 times (503%) higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- South Dakota's biggest city is Sioux Falls with 209,289 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Sioux Falls' population is 4.5 times (350%) larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- South Dakota's largest metropolitan area is Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266 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 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.
- 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.
South Dakota vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- South Dakota's GDP is $76.8 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- West Virginia's economic output is 1.4 times (39%) larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- South Dakota: $83,052 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- South Dakota's GDP per capita is 1.4 times (38%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- South Dakota: $75,699 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- South Dakota's average income is 1.4 times (37%) higher than West Virginia's.
South Dakota vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- South Dakota has 66 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- South Dakota's county count is 1.2 times (20%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- South Dakota's largest county is Meade County at 3,471 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Meade County's land area is 3.3 times (234%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Clay County's land area is 5.0 times (399%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Minnehaha County's population is 1.2 times (20%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- South Dakota: Jones County (874 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 5.6 times (463%) larger than Jones County's.
Richest county
- South Dakota: Union County ($146,712 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Union County's income is 2.1 times (108%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Webster County's income is 1.1 times (7%) richer than Ziebach County's.
South Dakota vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- South Dakota has no state income tax, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- West Virginia's top rate is 4.82 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- South Dakota: 1.02% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- South Dakota's rate is 0.5 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- South Dakota: 6.11% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- West Virginia's combined rate is 0.49 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
South Dakota official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All South 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.