The map above shows Washington and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Washington vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- Washington has a land area of 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- Washington's land area is 2.8 times (176%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Washington's total area is 2.9 times (194%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- Washington is 238 miles (383 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- Washington and West Virginia have about the same north-south length.
Width
- Washington spans 399 miles (641 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- Washington's east-west width is 1.4 times (45%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- Washington's highest point is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Mount Rainier is 9,546 feet higher than Spruce Knob.
Lowest point
- Washington's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- Washington's lowest point is 240 feet lower.
Washington vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- Washington has a population of 7,958,180 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- Washington's population is 4.5 times (350%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- Washington: 119.8 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- Washington's population density is 1.6 times (63%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- Washington's biggest city is Seattle with 780,995 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Seattle's population is 16.8 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- Washington's largest metropolitan area is Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494 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 1.6 times (55%) larger than Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's.
History
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd 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.
Washington vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- Washington's GDP is $856.0 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- Washington's economic output is 8.0 times (704%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- Washington: $107,564 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- Washington's GDP per capita is 1.8 times (79%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- Washington: $85,187 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Washington's average income is 1.5 times (54%) higher than West Virginia's.
Washington vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- Washington has 39 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- West Virginia's county count is 1.4 times (41%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest county by area
- Washington's largest county is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- Okanogan County's land area is 5.1 times (407%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- San Juan County's land area is 2.1 times (111%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- Washington: King County (2,340,211 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- King County's population is 13.5 times larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 2.0 times (105%) larger than Garfield County's.
Richest county
- Washington: King County ($128,684 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- King County's income is 1.8 times (82%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Washington: Ferry County ($50,456 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Ferry County's income is 1.4 times (44%) richer than Webster County's.
Washington vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
Property tax
- Washington: 0.79% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- Washington's rate is 0.27 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Washington: 9.57% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- Washington's combined rate is 2.97 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Washington official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Washington 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.