The map above shows Tennessee and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Tennessee vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Tennessee has a land area of 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Tennessee's land area is 1.7 times (71%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Tennessee's total area is 1.7 times (74%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- West Virginia's north-south length is 1.3 times (28%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Tennessee's east-west width is 1.8 times (80%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Tennessee's highest point is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Clingmans Dome is 1,761 feet higher than Spruce Knob.
Lowest point
- Tennessee's lowest point is Mississippi River at 178 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Tennessee's lowest point is 62 feet lower.
Tennessee vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Tennessee has a population of 7,227,750 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Tennessee's population is 4.1 times (308%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Tennessee: 175.3 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Tennessee's population density is 2.4 times (138%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Tennessee's biggest city is Nashville with 704,963 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Nashville's population is 15.2 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Tennessee's largest metropolitan area is Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553 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 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.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, Tennessee is the older of the two by 67 years.
Tennessee vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Tennessee's GDP is $561.2 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Tennessee's economic output is 5.3 times (427%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Tennessee: $77,645 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Tennessee's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (29%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Tennessee: $66,504 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Tennessee's average income is 1.2 times (20%) higher than West Virginia's.
Tennessee vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Tennessee has 95 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- Tennessee's county count is 1.7 times (73%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- Tennessee's largest county is Shelby County at 753 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Randolph County's land area is 1.4 times (38%) larger than Shelby County's.
Smallest county by area
- Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Trousdale County's land area is 1.4 times (38%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Shelby County's population is 5.2 times (424%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Pickett County and Wirt County have about the same population.
Richest county
- Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Williamson County's income is 2.0 times (98%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Webster County's income is 1.1 times (11%) richer than Lake County's.
Tennessee vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Tennessee 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
- Tennessee: 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
- Tennessee: 9.61% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 3.01 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Tennessee official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Tennessee 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.