The map above shows Tennessee and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Tennessee vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- Tennessee has a land area of 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- Tennessee and Virginia have about the same land area.
Total area
- Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Tennessee and Virginia have about the same total area.
Length
- Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- Virginia's north-south length is 1.2 times (17%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- Tennessee's east-west width is 1.1 times (7%) wider than Virginia's.
Highest point
- Tennessee's highest point is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Clingmans Dome is 895 feet higher than Mount Rogers.
Lowest point
- Tennessee's lowest point is Mississippi River at 178 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- Virginia's lowest point is 178 feet lower.
Tennessee vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- Tennessee has a population of 7,227,750 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- Virginia's population is 1.2 times (22%) larger than Tennessee's.
Population density
- Tennessee: 175.3 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- Virginia's population density is 1.3 times (27%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest city
- Tennessee's biggest city is Nashville with 704,963 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Nashville's population is 1.6 times (55%) larger than Virginia Beach's.
Largest metro area
- Tennessee's largest metropolitan area is Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553 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 3.0 times (199%) larger than Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area's.
History
- Tennessee: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th 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 8 years.
Tennessee vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- Tennessee's GDP is $561.2 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- Virginia's economic output is 1.4 times (36%) larger than Tennessee's.
GDP per capita
- Tennessee: $77,645 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- Virginia's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (11%) higher than Tennessee's.
Average income
- Tennessee: $66,504 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Virginia's average income is 1.2 times (16%) higher than Tennessee's.
Tennessee vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Tennessee has 95 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 1.4 times (40%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest county by area
- Tennessee's largest county is Shelby County at 753 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- Pittsylvania County's land area is 1.3 times (29%) larger than Shelby County's.
Smallest county by area
- Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- Trousdale County's land area is 57.2 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Fairfax County's population is 1.3 times (27%) larger than Shelby County's.
Least populous county
- Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Pickett County's population is 2.2 times (118%) larger than Highland County's.
Richest county
- Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Williamson County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Arlington County's.
Poorest county
- Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Sussex County's income is 1.3 times (30%) richer than Lake County's.
Tennessee vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Tennessee 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
- Tennessee: 0.45% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Virginia's rate is 0.26 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Tennessee: 9.61% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 3.84 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Tennessee official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Tennessee 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.