Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in United States instead of Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 1.9 years less

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 63.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.

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make 2.0 times more money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.

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Life

be 28.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Virgin Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 46.1% more likely to have internet access

In Virgin Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In United States, about 94.7% do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 106.0 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.

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Infrastructure

find 3.9 times more home broadband

Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Virgin Islands vs. United States

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
United States is 19.8% cheaper than Virgin Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Virgin Islands is about 5,148 times smaller than United States.
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Moving from Virgin Islands to United States · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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United States: At a glance

United States (sometimes abbreviated US or USA) is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 9,147,593 sq km. Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
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How big is United States compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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