Elevation of Richmond
213ft
above sea level · 65 m
Richmond is the capital of Virginia. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 16th lowest. The state’s largest city is Virginia Beach.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 37.55° N · 77.46° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 37° 33′ 14″ N · 77° 27′ 37″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 18S · 282,676 E · 4,159,150 N
- Zone 18 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 237,257 people
- 59.9 sq mi of land · 3,960 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from March 2014: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Richmond had 237,257 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 4.7% more than in April 2020, when it had 226,522. Its 59.9 sq mi of land work out to 3,960 people/sq mi; the state average is 225 people/sq mi.
It’s the 3rd most populous of the 684 places the Census counts in Virginia (cities, towns and CDPs), after Virginia Beach (453,737), and holds 2.7% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Richmond city. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Richmond sits at 213 ft (65 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Richmond is 885 ft below it.
Of the 3 cities in Virginia with a page, Richmond is the highest. The others are Chesapeake (12 ft) and Virginia Beach (10 ft).
The highest point in Virginia is Mount Rogers, at 5,729 ft according to the USGS: 5,516 ft above Richmond, 233 mi away in a straight line.
- 35 Richmond 213 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Richmond.
What is the elevation of Richmond?
Richmond is 213 feet (65 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Richmond?
Latitude 37.55376 and longitude -77.46026, in decimal degrees (37° 33′ 14″ N · 77° 27′ 37″ W). In UTM, zone 18: 282,676 E and 4,159,150 N, on NAD83.
How does Richmond rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 16th lowest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Richmond in?
Richmond city, Virginia.
Which is higher, Richmond or Chesapeake?
Richmond. Richmond sits at 213 ft and Chesapeake at 12 ft: a difference of 201 ft, 83 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know