The map above shows West Virginia and Wisconsin side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
West Virginia vs Wisconsin Geography
Land area
- West Virginia has a land area of 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²), while Wisconsin has 54,168 square miles (140,294 km²).
- Wisconsin's land area is 2.3 times (125%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²) vs Wisconsin: 65,497 square miles (169,636 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Wisconsin's total area is 2.7 times (170%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km) long from north to south; Wisconsin is 368 miles (593 km).
- Wisconsin's north-south length is 1.5 times (50%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km) east to west; Wisconsin spans 323 miles (521 km).
- Wisconsin's east-west width is 1.2 times (17%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- West Virginia's highest point is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m); Wisconsin's is Timms Hill at 1,946 feet (593 m).
- Spruce Knob is 2,917 feet higher than Timms Hill.
Lowest point
- West Virginia's lowest point is Potomac River at 240 feet; Wisconsin's is Lake Michigan at 577 feet.
- West Virginia's lowest point is 337 feet lower.
West Virginia vs Wisconsin Population and History
Population
- West Virginia has a population of 1,769,979 (2024), while Wisconsin has 5,960,975 (2024).
- Wisconsin's population is 3.4 times (237%) larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- West Virginia: 73.6 people per square mile vs Wisconsin: 110.0.
- Wisconsin's population density is 1.5 times (49%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- West Virginia's biggest city is Charleston with 46,482 people; Wisconsin's is Milwaukee with 563,531.
- Milwaukee's population is 12.1 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- West Virginia's largest metropolitan area is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489 people) vs Wisconsin's Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952).
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's population is 1.7 times (71%) larger than Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area's.
History
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- Wisconsin: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state.
- In its current form, Wisconsin is the older of the two by 15 years.
West Virginia vs Wisconsin Economy
GDP
- West Virginia's GDP is $106.5 billion (2024) vs Wisconsin's $453.3 billion.
- Wisconsin's economic output is 4.3 times (326%) larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- West Virginia: $60,156 per person vs Wisconsin: $76,044.
- Wisconsin's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (26%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- West Virginia: $55,351 vs Wisconsin: $67,755 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Wisconsin's average income is 1.2 times (22%) higher than West Virginia's.
West Virginia vs Wisconsin Counties
Number of counties
- West Virginia has 55 counties, while Wisconsin has 72.
- Wisconsin's county count is 1.3 times (31%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- West Virginia's largest county is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles; Wisconsin's is Marathon County at 1,545 square miles.
- Marathon County's land area is 1.5 times (49%) larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi) vs Wisconsin: Pepin County (232 sq mi).
- Pepin County's land area is 2.8 times (181%) larger than Hancock County's.
Most populous county
- West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people) vs Wisconsin: Milwaukee County (924,740 people).
- Milwaukee County's population is 5.3 times (432%) larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County (4,286 people).
- Wirt County's population is 1.1 times (15%) larger than Menominee County's.
Richest county
- West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Ozaukee County ($109,947).
- Ozaukee County's income is 1.6 times (56%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County ($43,696).
- Menominee County's income is 1.2 times (25%) richer than Webster County's.
West Virginia vs Wisconsin Taxes
State income tax
- West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%, while Wisconsin has a top income tax rate of 7.65%.
- Wisconsin's top rate is 2.83 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- West Virginia: 0.52% effective rate vs Wisconsin: 1.25% of home value per year.
- Wisconsin's rate is 0.73 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- West Virginia: 6.6% combined state and average local rate vs Wisconsin: 5.72%.
- West Virginia's combined rate is 0.88 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
West Virginia official website · Wisconsin official website
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More Size Comparisons
All West Virginia size comparisons · All Wisconsin 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.