Tennessee 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, 22% more than Tennessee's 7,227,750. Tennessee ranks 15th and Virginia 12th of the 50 states and DC. Virginia is the more crowded, with 223.2 people per square mile against 175.3, 27% more.

Land area

Tennessee has 41,224 square miles of land, about the same as Virginia's 39,481. The largest county-equivalent in Tennessee is Shelby County at 753 square miles; in Virginia it is Pittsylvania County at 969.

Counties

Virginia is divided into 133 county-equivalents and Tennessee into 95, so an average Virginia county covers 297 square miles against 434. The typical county in Tennessee has 32,883 residents, against 27,800 in Virginia. The most populous are Shelby County (910,530) and Fairfax County (1,160,925).

13 county names appear on both sides of the border: Bedford, Campbell, Carroll, Cumberland, Franklin, Giles, Greene, Henry, Madison, Montgomery, Scott, 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, 13% above Tennessee's $57,630. The highest county incomes are Williamson County ($136,007) in Tennessee and Loudoun County ($173,655) in Virginia, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Nashville and Richmond are 525 miles apart in a straight line; from Nashville the initial bearing is 77°, ENE. On June 21, 2026, Nashville gets 14 h 37 min of daylight and Richmond 14 h 46 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 42 min and 9 h 34 min. Month by month tables are on the Nashville and Richmond daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the South region, but Tennessee is in the East South Central division and Virginia in the South Atlantic division. By county internal points, Tennessee spans 2 UTM zones and Virginia 2.