Pennsylvania to District of Columbia

Distance from Philadelphia to Washington

Straight-line distance

126.2mi

Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC are 126.2 miles (203.1 km) apart in a straight line. From Philadelphia, the shortest path starts out heading SW (233°).

kilometers
203.1
nautical miles
109.7
heading from Philadelphia
233° SW
heading from Washington
52° NE
PhiladelphiaWashington

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

How far Philadelphia is from Washington

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Philadelphia and Washington is 126.2 miles, 203.1 km or 109.7 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 126.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
126.2
Kilometers
203.1
Nautical miles
109.7
Bearing from Philadelphia
233.4° SW
Bearing arriving at Washington
232.2°
Bearing from Washington
52.2° NE

Halfway between Philadelphia and Washington

The great-circle midpoint is at 39.460596, -76.082376 (39°27'38.15"N 76°04'56.55"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Havre de Grace, MD, with 15,222 residents, 6.2 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, Philadelphia gets 15 h 01 min of daylight and Washington 14 h 54 min; on December 21, 9 h 20 min and 9 h 26 min. Philadelphia is 1.11° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Philadelphia has 2.2 times the population of Washington. From July 2020 to July 2024, Philadelphia changed by -1.7% and Washington by +4.7%. The trip crosses from Pennsylvania into District of Columbia.

  1. 01Philadelphia, PA1,573,916 (-1.7%)
  2. 02Washington, DC702,250 (+4.7%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Philadelphia from Washington?

126.2 miles, 203.1 km or 109.7 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Washington from Philadelphia?

SW. The great-circle path leaves Philadelphia on a bearing of 233.4° and arrives at Washington on 232.2°. The return trip starts on 52.2°.

What is halfway between Philadelphia and Washington?

The midpoint is at 39.460596, -76.082376. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Havre de Grace, MD, 6.2 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Philadelphia and Washington?

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

Which is bigger, Philadelphia or Washington?

Philadelphia, with 1,573,916 residents in July 2024 against 702,250 for Washington, 2.2 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.