Virginia to District of Columbia

Distance from Richmond to Washington

Straight-line distance

98.1mi

Richmond, VA and Washington, DC are 98.1 miles (157.8 km) apart in a straight line. From Richmond, the shortest path starts out heading NNE (15°).

kilometers
157.8
nautical miles
85.2
heading from Richmond
15° NNE
heading from Washington
195° SSW
RichmondWashington

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

How far Richmond is from Washington

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Richmond and Washington is 98.1 miles, 157.8 km or 85.2 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 98.1 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
98.1
Kilometers
157.8
Nautical miles
85.2
Bearing from Richmond
14.6° NNE
Bearing arriving at Washington
14.9°
Bearing from Washington
194.9° SSW

Halfway between Richmond and Washington

The great-circle midpoint is at 38.218024, -77.248417 (38°13'4.89"N 77°14'54.30"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Bowling Green, VA, with 1,252 residents, 12.6 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, Richmond gets 14 h 46 min of daylight and Washington 14 h 54 min; on December 21, 9 h 34 min and 9 h 26 min. Washington is 1.37° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

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

  1. 01Richmond, VA233,655 (+3.0%)
  2. 02Washington, DC702,250 (+4.7%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Richmond from Washington?

98.1 miles, 157.8 km or 85.2 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Washington from Richmond?

NNE. The great-circle path leaves Richmond on a bearing of 14.6° and arrives at Washington on 14.9°. The return trip starts on 194.9°.

What is halfway between Richmond and Washington?

The midpoint is at 38.218024, -77.248417. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Bowling Green, VA, 12.6 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Richmond and Washington?

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

Which is bigger, Richmond or Washington?

Washington, with 702,250 residents in July 2024 against 233,655 for Richmond, 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.