Bordering states

North Carolina vs Virginia

Short answer

North Carolina has 11,046,024 residents, 25% more than Virginia's 8,811,195. North Carolina is the larger by land, 1.23 times the size of Virginia.
NC
11,046,024
VA
8,811,195

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.

North Carolina

Scotland County: 106.2 per sq miRockingham County: 165.3 per sq miFranklin County: 162.2 per sq miCaswell County: 52.6 per sq miStokes County: 102.1 per sq miGranville County: 115.7 per sq miEdgecombe County: 97.2 per sq miRandolph County: 189.7 per sq miAlexander County: 141.1 per sq miPerson County: 102.3 per sq miCherokee County: 66.7 per sq miAshe County: 64.0 per sq miDavidson County: 321.5 per sq miCabarrus County: 678.0 per sq miMecklenburg County: 2,303.8 per sq miBurke County: 174.9 per sq miCumberland County: 518.6 per sq miNorthampton County: 30.9 per sq miBuncombe County: 425.3 per sq miWilson County: 217.5 per sq miBladen County: 34.0 per sq miPitt County: 277.1 per sq miYancey County: 60.8 per sq miStanly County: 170.4 per sq miHarnett County: 245.5 per sq miWilkes County: 87.8 per sq miTyrrell County: 9.0 per sq miPamlico County: 37.3 per sq miHoke County: 142.0 per sq miTransylvania County: 90.1 per sq miCarteret County: 138.4 per sq miDurham County: 1,195.0 per sq miAnson County: 42.2 per sq miPender County: 80.4 per sq miAlamance County: 432.2 per sq miPolk County: 85.5 per sq miLenoir County: 138.6 per sq miWashington County: 30.7 per sq miAvery County: 72.0 per sq miHyde County: 7.5 per sq miGates County: 30.2 per sq miDavie County: 172.1 per sq miJackson County: 92.2 per sq miMontgomery County: 53.6 per sq miMartin County: 47.2 per sq miPasquotank County: 182.6 per sq miPerquimans County: 54.5 per sq miCleveland County: 220.1 per sq miSampson County: 63.9 per sq miCatawba County: 416.2 per sq miAlleghany County: 48.5 per sq miRobeson County: 125.2 per sq miMacon County: 75.1 per sq miClay County: 56.0 per sq miHaywood County: 113.9 per sq miDuplin County: 62.0 per sq miHenderson County: 323.8 per sq miCraven County: 147.4 per sq miWarren County: 44.4 per sq miGraham County: 28.0 per sq miUnion County: 416.3 per sq miWayne County: 217.2 per sq miGaston County: 680.3 per sq miGuilford County: 865.1 per sq miYadkin County: 113.4 per sq miWatauga County: 176.0 per sq miRowan County: 299.8 per sq miSwain County: 26.4 per sq miChatham County: 123.1 per sq miBertie County: 24.2 per sq miHalifax County: 64.9 per sq miForsyth County: 975.7 per sq miOnslow County: 279.4 per sq miDare County: 99.6 per sq miChowan County: 80.5 per sq miBrunswick County: 196.6 per sq miJohnston County: 315.4 per sq miOrange County: 384.6 per sq miCurrituck County: 123.2 per sq miNew Hanover County: 1,265.8 per sq miRichmond County: 88.6 per sq miVance County: 167.7 per sq miIredell County: 359.2 per sq miLincoln County: 329.9 per sq miCaldwell County: 171.1 per sq miMcDowell County: 102.9 per sq miRutherford County: 116.0 per sq miMitchell County: 67.9 per sq miMoore County: 155.4 per sq miColumbus County: 53.4 per sq miLee County: 268.7 per sq miGreene County: 77.5 per sq miMadison County: 49.7 per sq miCamden County: 46.5 per sq miHertford County: 54.3 per sq miBeaufort County: 53.5 per sq miJones County: 20.1 per sq miWake County: 1,476.7 per sq miNash County: 181.3 per sq miSurry County: 134.3 per sq mi

Virginia

Martinsville city: 1,262.2 per sq miNorton city: 465.0 per sq miCharlottesville city: 4,367.5 per sq miWinchester city: 3,025.0 per sq miBristol city: 1,267.8 per sq miManassas Park city: 5,482.2 per sq miFluvanna County: 100.1 per sq miClarke County: 88.6 per sq miLunenburg County: 27.9 per sq miColonial Heights city: 2,483.2 per sq miFranklin city: 1,011.2 per sq miLexington city: 3,120.8 per sq miPetersburg city: 1,499.0 per sq miSuffolk city: 258.3 per sq miEmporia city: 814.8 per sq miMiddlesex County: 84.0 per sq miFairfax city: 4,221.2 per sq miFredericksburg city: 2,870.0 per sq miFloyd County: 41.1 per sq miRadford city: 1,784.4 per sq miWaynesboro city: 1,569.7 per sq miHopewell city: 2,219.3 per sq miStaunton city: 1,323.3 per sq miBuena Vista city: 1,021.9 per sq miCovington city: 1,035.3 per sq miPoquoson city: 836.8 per sq miMadison County: 44.4 per sq miFalls Church city: 7,333.7 per sq miFranklin County: 80.6 per sq miMecklenburg County: 49.3 per sq miSmyth County: 64.5 per sq miPittsylvania County: 61.3 per sq miFrederick County: 237.5 per sq miRussell County: 53.7 per sq miNottoway County: 49.7 per sq miScott County: 39.9 per sq miMathews County: 100.1 per sq miStafford County: 629.1 per sq miGoochland County: 100.0 per sq miHenrico County: 1,449.3 per sq miCaroline County: 63.5 per sq miPrince George County: 164.3 per sq miPrince William County: 1,482.4 per sq miCumberland County: 33.8 per sq miEssex County: 41.5 per sq miFairfax County: 2,969.0 per sq miHenry County: 129.2 per sq miCarroll County: 61.6 per sq miGrayson County: 34.6 per sq miLouisa County: 85.1 per sq miJames City County: 581.8 per sq miAlbemarle County: 162.8 per sq miLynchburg city: 1,641.5 per sq miKing William County: 70.2 per sq miCharles City County: 35.9 per sq miNorthumberland County: 64.8 per sq miAlexandria city: 10,649.4 per sq miSalem city: 1,784.3 per sq miGalax city: 817.8 per sq miIsle of Wight County: 129.7 per sq miNewport News city: 2,653.0 per sq miTazewell County: 74.9 per sq miAmherst County: 66.8 per sq miManassas city: 4,432.5 per sq miBuckingham County: 29.5 per sq miShenandoah County: 89.4 per sq miRichmond city: 3,898.8 per sq miAlleghany County: 32.8 per sq miCulpeper County: 148.0 per sq miWarren County: 197.9 per sq miNorthampton County: 56.7 per sq miSouthampton County: 29.9 per sq miPortsmouth city: 2,897.4 per sq miRockingham County: 103.2 per sq miOrange County: 114.5 per sq miSussex County: 21.9 per sq miBland County: 17.3 per sq miChesapeake city: 753.4 per sq miHarrisonburg city: 2,950.6 per sq miPowhatan County: 124.5 per sq miVirginia Beach city: 1,858.5 per sq miDinwiddie County: 56.7 per sq miCampbell County: 110.0 per sq miGloucester County: 184.4 per sq miGreene County: 139.4 per sq miPage County: 76.4 per sq miHalifax County: 40.9 per sq miHanover County: 246.6 per sq miBuchanan County: 37.1 per sq miHighland County: 5.7 per sq miSurry County: 23.6 per sq miWestmoreland County: 83.9 per sq miWythe County: 60.8 per sq miGreensville County: 37.7 per sq miRoanoke city: 2,302.7 per sq miLoudoun County: 859.7 per sq miSpotsylvania County: 378.2 per sq miBrunswick County: 27.8 per sq miKing George County: 160.4 per sq miBedford County: 108.1 per sq miPatrick County: 35.8 per sq miLancaster County: 83.0 per sq miNelson County: 31.4 per sq miMontgomery County: 255.9 per sq miAmelia County: 38.6 per sq miYork County: 682.0 per sq miNorfolk city: 4,337.6 per sq miWilliamsburg city: 1,793.1 per sq miBath County: 7.7 per sq miAccomack County: 74.4 per sq miWashington County: 96.4 per sq miPulaski County: 105.0 per sq miRockbridge County: 37.5 per sq miRoanoke County: 388.5 per sq miWise County: 86.7 per sq miFauquier County: 117.1 per sq miCraig County: 14.7 per sq miCharlotte County: 23.7 per sq miRichmond County: 48.1 per sq miLee County: 50.0 per sq miChesterfield County: 920.4 per sq miDanville city: 981.1 per sq miKing and Queen County: 21.4 per sq miPrince Edward County: 63.7 per sq miHampton city: 2,673.8 per sq miAppomattox County: 50.7 per sq miBotetourt County: 63.1 per sq miArlington County: 9,223.3 per sq miRappahannock County: 28.1 per sq miNew Kent County: 129.6 per sq miAugusta County: 81.3 per sq miGiles County: 46.3 per sq miDickenson County: 40.6 per sq mi
People per sq mi
  1. < 48
  2. < 85
  3. < 163
  4. < 753
  5. ≥ 753
no data

Residents, 2024

  1. 01North Carolina11,046,024
  2. 02Virginia8,811,195

Land, square miles

  1. 01North Carolina48,624
  2. 02Virginia39,481

People per square mile

  1. 01North Carolina227.2
  2. 02Virginia223.2

Median county household income

  1. 01North Carolina$60,263
  2. 02Virginia$64,903

Side by side

MeasureNorth CarolinaVirginia
Residents, 202411,046,0248,811,195
Rank by population9th12th
Land, sq mi48,62439,481
People per sq mi227.2223.2
County-equivalents100133
Median county residents52,76827,800
Median county income$60,263$64,903
Most populous countyWake CountyFairfax County
Largest county by landRobeson CountyPittsylvania County
CapitalRaleighRichmond
Daylight at capital, June 2114 h 35 min14 h 46 min
Census divisionSouth AtlanticSouth Atlantic
Census Vintage 2024 population, 2024 Gazetteer land area, SAIPE 2023 income. Daylight computed with SunCalc.

Population and density

North Carolina has 11,046,024 residents, 25% more than Virginia's 8,811,195. North Carolina ranks 9th and Virginia 12th of the 50 states and DC. Both average about 227 people per square mile.

Land area

North Carolina has 48,624 square miles of land, 23% more than Virginia's 39,481. The largest county-equivalent in North Carolina is Robeson County at 947 square miles; in Virginia it is Pittsylvania County at 969.

Counties

Virginia is divided into 133 county-equivalents and North Carolina into 100, so an average Virginia county covers 297 square miles against 486. The typical county in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, against 27,800 in Virginia. The most populous are Wake County (1,232,444) and Fairfax County (1,160,925).

17 county names appear on both sides of the border: Alleghany, Brunswick, Cumberland, Franklin, Greene, Halifax, Lee, Madison, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Northampton, Orange, Richmond, Rockingham, Surry, Warren, Washington. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in Virginia has a household income of $64,903, 8% above North Carolina's $60,263. The highest county incomes are Wake County ($103,084) in North Carolina and Loudoun County ($173,655) in Virginia, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Raleigh and Richmond are 139 miles apart in a straight line; from Raleigh the initial bearing is 28°, NNE. On June 21, 2026, Raleigh gets 14 h 35 min of daylight and Richmond 14 h 46 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 44 min and 9 h 34 min. Month by month tables are on the Raleigh and Richmond daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the Census South Atlantic division of the South region. By county internal points, North Carolina spans 3 UTM zones and Virginia 2.

Questions people ask

Which is bigger, North Carolina or Virginia?

North Carolina, with 48,624 square miles of land against 39,481, 1.23 times as large.

Which has more people, North Carolina or Virginia?

North Carolina has 11,046,024 residents, 25% more than Virginia's 8,811,195.

How far is Raleigh from Richmond?

139 miles in a straight line, heading NNE (28°) from Raleigh.

Do North Carolina and Virginia have counties with the same name?

Yes, 17: Alleghany, Brunswick, Cumberland, Franklin, Greene, Halifax, Lee, Madison, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Northampton, Orange, Richmond, Rockingham, Surry, Warren, Washington.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Bureau regions and divisions of the United States (last verified 2026-09-30)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.