The map above shows California and Delaware side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Delaware Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Delaware has 1,949 square miles (5,047 km²). California's land area is 80.0 times larger than Delaware's.
Total area: California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Delaware: 2,489 square miles (6,446 km²), including inland and coastal water. California's total area is 65.8 times larger than Delaware's.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Delaware is 98 miles (158 km). California's north-south length is 7.8 times (677%) longer than Delaware's.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Delaware spans 96 miles (155 km). California's east-west width is 7.4 times (635%) wider than Delaware's.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Delaware's is Ebright Azimuth at 450 feet (137 m). Mount Whitney is 14,034 feet higher than Ebright Azimuth.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Delaware's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Delaware Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Delaware has 1,051,917 (2024). California's population is 37.5 times larger than Delaware's.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Delaware: 539.9. Delaware's population density is 2.1 times (113%) higher than California's.
Biggest city: California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Delaware's is Wilmington with 73,176. Los Angeles' population is 53.0 times larger than Wilmington's.
Largest metro area: California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Delaware's Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (6,330,422). Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 2.0 times (104%) larger than Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area's.
History: California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state. Delaware: Admitted to the Union on December 7, 1787, as the 1st state. In its current form, Delaware is the older of the two by 63 years.
California vs Delaware Economy
GDP: California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Delaware's $111.0 billion. California's economic output is 36.5 times larger than Delaware's.
GDP per capita: California: $102,662 per person vs Delaware: $105,495. California and Delaware have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income: California: $86,232 vs Delaware: $68,061 average income per person (per capita personal income). California's average income is 1.3 times (27%) higher than Delaware's.
California vs Delaware Counties
Number of counties: California has 58 counties, while Delaware has 3. California's county count is 19.3 times higher than Delaware's.
Biggest county by area: California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Delaware's is Sussex County at 936 square miles. San Bernardino County's land area is 21.4 times larger than Sussex County's.
Smallest county by area: California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Delaware: New Castle County (426 sq mi). New Castle County's land area is 9.1 times (813%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county: California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Delaware: New Castle County (588,093 people). Los Angeles County's population is 16.6 times larger than New Castle County's.
Least populous county: California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Delaware: Kent County (192,690 people). Kent County's population is 175.3 times larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county: California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Delaware: Sussex County ($73,647). Marin County's income is 2.6 times (159%) richer than Sussex County's.
Poorest county: California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Delaware: Kent County ($55,474). Kent County's income is 1.3 times (31%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Delaware Taxes
State income tax: California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Delaware has a top income tax rate of 6.6%. California's top rate is 6.7 percentage points higher.
Property tax: California: 0.71% effective rate vs Delaware: 0.47% of home value per year. California's rate is 0.24 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Delaware: 0%. California's combined rate is 9.03 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Delaware official website
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Delaware size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.