District of Columbia vs Virginia

The two states, county by county

Both maps share one density scale, so the same shade means the same number of people per square mile on either side of the border. Darker counties are denser. Select a county to open its page.

Side by side

Population and density

Virginia has 8,811,195 residents, 12.5 times District of Columbia's 702,250. District of Columbia ranks 49th and Virginia 12th of the 50 states and DC. District of Columbia is the more crowded, with 11,487.8 people per square mile against 223.2, 51.5 times.

Land area

Virginia has 39,481 square miles of land, 645.9 times District of Columbia's 61. The largest county-equivalent in District of Columbia is District of Columbia at 61 square miles; in Virginia it is Pittsylvania County at 969.

Counties

Virginia is divided into 133 county-equivalents and District of Columbia into 1, so an average Virginia county covers 297 square miles against 61. The typical county in District of Columbia has 702,250 residents, against 27,800 in Virginia. The most populous are District of Columbia (702,250) and Fairfax County (1,160,925).

No county name appears in both states, so a county name alone is enough to tell which state a row belongs to.

Household income

The median county in District of Columbia has a household income of $104,643, 61% above Virginia's $64,903. The highest county incomes are District of Columbia ($104,643) in District of Columbia and Loudoun County ($173,655) in Virginia, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Washington and Richmond are 97 miles apart in a straight line; from Washington the initial bearing is 193°, SSW. On June 21, 2026, Washington gets 14 h 54 min of daylight and Richmond 14 h 46 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 26 min and 9 h 34 min. Month by month tables are on the Washington and Richmond daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the Census South Atlantic division of the South region. By county internal points, District of Columbia spans 1 UTM zone and Virginia 2.