Virginia to District of Columbia

Distance from Virginia Beach to Washington

Straight-line distance

156.4mi

Virginia Beach, VA and Washington, DC are 156.4 miles (251.7 km) apart in a straight line. From Virginia Beach, the shortest path starts out heading NNW (340°).

kilometers
251.7
nautical miles
135.9
heading from Virginia Beach
340° NNW
heading from Washington
160° SSE
Virginia BeachWashington

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

How far Virginia Beach is from Washington

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Virginia Beach and Washington is 156.4 miles, 251.7 km or 135.9 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 156.4 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
156.4
Kilometers
251.7
Nautical miles
135.9
Bearing from Virginia Beach
340.1° NNW
Bearing arriving at Washington
339.5°
Bearing from Washington
159.5° SSE

Halfway between Virginia Beach and Washington

The great-circle midpoint is at 37.842880, -76.515688 (37°50'34.37"N 76°30'56.48"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Kilmarnock, VA, with 1,464 residents, 11.7 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, Virginia Beach gets 14 h 41 min of daylight and Washington 14 h 54 min; on December 21, 9 h 38 min and 9 h 26 min. Washington is 2.12° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Washington has 1.5 times the population of Virginia Beach. From July 2020 to July 2024, Virginia Beach changed by -1.1% and Washington by +4.7%. The trip crosses from Virginia into District of Columbia.

  1. 01Virginia Beach, VA454,808 (-1.1%)
  2. 02Washington, DC702,250 (+4.7%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Virginia Beach from Washington?

156.4 miles, 251.7 km or 135.9 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Washington from Virginia Beach?

NNW. The great-circle path leaves Virginia Beach on a bearing of 340.1° and arrives at Washington on 339.5°. The return trip starts on 159.5°.

What is halfway between Virginia Beach and Washington?

The midpoint is at 37.842880, -76.515688. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Kilmarnock, VA, 11.7 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Virginia Beach and Washington?

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

Which is bigger, Virginia Beach or Washington?

Washington, with 702,250 residents in July 2024 against 454,808 for Virginia Beach, 1.5 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.