Virginia to District of Columbia

Distance from Norfolk to Washington

Straight-line distance

143.2mi

Norfolk, VA and Washington, DC are 143.2 miles (230.5 km) apart in a straight line. From Norfolk, the shortest path starts out heading NNW (343°).

kilometers
230.5
nautical miles
124.4
heading from Norfolk
343° NNW
heading from Washington
163° SSE
NorfolkWashington

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Norfolk is from Washington

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Norfolk and Washington is 143.2 miles, 230.5 km or 124.4 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 143.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
143.2
Kilometers
230.5
Nautical miles
124.4
Bearing from Norfolk
343.1° NNW
Bearing arriving at Washington
342.7°
Bearing from Washington
162.7° SSE

Halfway between Norfolk and Washington

The great-circle midpoint is at 37.914230, -76.625352 (37°54'51.23"N 76°37'31.27"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Warsaw, VA, with 1,683 residents, 8.0 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Norfolk gets 14 h 42 min of daylight and Washington 14 h 54 min; on December 21, 9 h 38 min and 9 h 26 min. Washington is 1.98° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Washington has 3.0 times the population of Norfolk. From July 2020 to July 2024, Norfolk changed by -2.8% and Washington by +4.7%. The trip crosses from Virginia into District of Columbia.

  1. 01Norfolk, VA231,105 (-2.8%)
  2. 02Washington, DC702,250 (+4.7%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Norfolk from Washington?

143.2 miles, 230.5 km or 124.4 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Washington from Norfolk?

NNW. The great-circle path leaves Norfolk on a bearing of 343.1° and arrives at Washington on 342.7°. The return trip starts on 162.7°.

What is halfway between Norfolk and Washington?

The midpoint is at 37.914230, -76.625352. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Warsaw, VA, 8.0 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Norfolk and Washington?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Norfolk or Washington?

Washington, with 702,250 residents in July 2024 against 231,105 for Norfolk, 3.0 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

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