Maryland 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, 41% more than Maryland's 6,263,220. Maryland ranks 18th and Virginia 12th of the 50 states and DC. Maryland is the more crowded, with 645.0 people per square mile against 223.2, 2.9 times.

Land area

Virginia has 39,481 square miles of land, 4.1 times Maryland's 9,711. The largest county-equivalent in Maryland is Frederick County at 661 square miles; in Virginia it is Pittsylvania County at 969.

Counties

Virginia is divided into 133 county-equivalents and Maryland into 24, so an average Virginia county covers 297 square miles against 405. The typical county in Maryland has 111,399 residents, against 27,800 in Virginia. The most populous are Montgomery County (1,082,273) and Fairfax County (1,160,925).

5 county names appear on both sides of the border: Caroline, Carroll, Frederick, Montgomery, Washington. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in Maryland has a household income of $87,200, 34% above Virginia's $64,903. The highest county incomes are Howard County ($140,113) in Maryland and Loudoun County ($173,655) in Virginia, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Annapolis and Richmond are 112 miles apart in a straight line; from Annapolis the initial bearing is 208°, SSW. On June 21, 2026, Annapolis 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 Annapolis and Richmond daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the Census South Atlantic division of the South region. By county internal points, Maryland spans 2 UTM zones and Virginia 2.