Washington, D.C.

Facts

What the numbers say about Washington, D.C.

• Washington, D.C. covers less than 0.1% of the area of the United States and ranks 49th of 51 by population, against 51st by area.
• It would take 58,349 states and districts the size of Washington, D.C. to cover the United States.
• Washington, D.C. holds 0.2% of the 331.4 million people that Wikidata’s 2020 figures give for the 51 states and districts together: about 1 in 481.
• The largest, Alaska, is 9,281× the size of Washington, D.C., the smallest of the 51.
• Closest in size within the United States: Rhode Island (2,830 km², 17.5×) and Delaware (5,170 km², 31.9×).
• Counted as a country, Washington, D.C. would be larger than 25 of the 239 countries and territories listed on sizeversus, and would rank 215th by area, between the Marshall Islands (165 km²) and British Virgin Islands (145 km²).
• With 690,000 people it would rank 167th of 238 by population.
• Washington, D.C. has 4,251 people per km².
• That makes Washington, D.C. the most densely populated of the 51 states and districts, 121× the average for the United States (35 per km²).
• Washington, D.C. has 8,726× the density of Alaska, the least crowded of the 51: 4,251 against 0.5 people per km².
• On a standard web map (Web Mercator), a place at 39°N is drawn about 1.7× too large in area, so Washington, D.C. looks bigger there than it is.
• Laid out flat, Washington, D.C. stretches about 22 km north to south and 18 km east to west.
• Our measured 162 km² is 8.4% below Wikidata's official figure of 177 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently. This difference is flagged for review.
• Washington, D.C. is small enough that Natural Earth draws it from only 10 points. Take its shape as a sketch and the official figure as the firmer number.

Beside the regions of other countries

The closest region by area and by people in each of the other countries that have regional pages here, within a factor of 2. All 395 regions side by side.

• IndiaAreaChandigarh1.37× · 119 km²PeopleSikkim1.05× · 658,000 (2011)
• GermanyAreanone within 2×PeopleBremen0.99× · 693,000 (2022)
• FranceAreanone within 2×PeopleRéunion (France)78% · 881,000 (2022)
• ItalyAreanone within 2×PeopleBasilicata1.23× · 563,000 (2019)
• SpainAreanone within 2×PeopleNavarre1.02× · 678,000 (2024)
• JapanAreanone within 2×PeopleKochi1.00× · 689,000 (2021)
• BrazilAreanone within 2×PeopleAmapá0.94× · 734,000 (2022)
• CanadaAreanone within 2×PeopleNew Brunswick89% · 776,000 (2021)
• AustraliaAreanone within 2×PeopleTasmania (Australia)1.28× · 540,000 (2020)
• MexicoAreanone within 2×PeopleColima0.94× · 731,000 (2020)
• ThailandAreanone within 2×PeopleTak1.03× · 670,000 (2020)

Compare Washington, D.C.

• Luxembourg vs Washington, D.C.
• Washington, D.C. vs Chandigarh
• Marshall Islands vs Washington, D.C.
• Aruba vs Washington, D.C.
• Navarre vs Washington, D.C.
• Kochi vs Washington, D.C.
• Bremen vs Washington, D.C.