The map above shows California and Massachusetts side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Massachusetts Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Massachusetts has 7,801 square miles (20,204 km²). California's land area is 20.0 times larger than Massachusetts'.
Total area: California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Massachusetts: 10,554 square miles (27,335 km²), including inland and coastal water. California's total area is 15.5 times larger than Massachusetts'.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Massachusetts is 123 miles (198 km). California's north-south length is 6.2 times (519%) longer than Massachusetts'.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Massachusetts spans 185 miles (297 km). California's east-west width is 3.8 times (282%) wider than Massachusetts'.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Massachusetts's is Mount Greylock at 3,489 feet (1,063 m). Mount Whitney is 10,995 feet higher than Mount Greylock.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Massachusetts's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Massachusetts Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Massachusetts has 7,136,171 (2024). California's population is 5.5 times (453%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Massachusetts: 914.8. Massachusetts' population density is 3.6 times (262%) higher than California's.
Biggest city: California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Massachusetts's is Boston with 673,458. Los Angeles' population is 5.8 times (476%) larger than Boston's.
Largest metro area: California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Massachusetts's Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517). Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 2.6 times (157%) larger than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area's.
History: California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state. Massachusetts: Admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788, as the 6th state. In its current form, Massachusetts is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs Massachusetts Economy
GDP: California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Massachusetts's $778.5 billion. California's economic output is 5.2 times (420%) larger than Massachusetts'.
GDP per capita: California: $102,662 per person vs Massachusetts: $109,095. Massachusetts' GDP per capita is 1.1 times (6%) higher than California's.
Average income: California: $86,232 vs Massachusetts: $93,607 average income per person (per capita personal income). Massachusetts' average income is 1.1 times (9%) higher than California's.
California vs Massachusetts Counties
Number of counties: California has 58 counties, while Massachusetts has 14. California's county count is 4.1 times (314%) higher than Massachusetts'.
Biggest county by area: California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Massachusetts's is Worcester County at 1,511 square miles. San Bernardino County's land area is 13.3 times larger than Worcester County's.
Smallest county by area: California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County (46 sq mi). San Francisco County and Nantucket County have about the same land area.
Most populous county: California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Massachusetts: Middlesex County (1,668,956 people). Los Angeles County's population is 5.8 times (485%) larger than Middlesex County's.
Least populous county: California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County (14,670 people). Nantucket County's population is 13.3 times larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county: California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County ($129,250). Marin County's income is 1.5 times (48%) richer than Nantucket County's.
Poorest county: California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Massachusetts: Hampshire County ($65,432). Hampshire County's income is 1.6 times (55%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Massachusetts Taxes
State income tax: California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Massachusetts has a top income tax rate of 9%. California's top rate is 4.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax: California: 0.71% effective rate vs Massachusetts: 1% of home value per year. Massachusetts's rate is 0.29 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Massachusetts: 6.25%. California's combined rate is 2.78 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Massachusetts official website
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Massachusetts 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.