The map above shows California and Nevada side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Nevada Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Nevada has 109,860 square miles (284,537 km²).
- California's land area is 1.4 times (42%) larger than Nevada's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Nevada: 110,571 square miles (286,377 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 1.5 times (48%) larger than Nevada's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Nevada is 484 miles (780 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.6 times (57%) longer than Nevada's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Nevada spans 469 miles (755 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.5 times (51%) wider than Nevada's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Nevada's is Boundary Peak at 13,115 feet (3,997 m).
- Mount Whitney is 1,369 feet higher than Boundary Peak.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Nevada's is Colorado River at 481 feet.
- California's lowest point is 760 feet lower.
California vs Nevada Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Nevada has 3,267,467 (2024).
- California's population is 12.1 times larger than Nevada's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Nevada: 29.7.
- California's population density is 8.5 times (752%) higher than Nevada's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Nevada's is Las Vegas with 678,922.
- Los Angeles' population is 5.7 times (471%) larger than Las Vegas'.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Nevada's Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV metro area (2,398,871).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 5.4 times (439%) larger than Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Nevada: Admitted to the Union on October 31, 1864, as the 36th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 14 years.
California vs Nevada Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Nevada's $269.0 billion.
- California's economic output is 15.0 times larger than Nevada's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Nevada: $82,330.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (25%) higher than Nevada's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Nevada: $69,805 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.2 times (24%) higher than Nevada's.
California vs Nevada Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Nevada has 17.
- California's county count is 3.4 times (241%) higher than Nevada's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Nevada's is Nye County at 18,182 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Nye County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Nevada: Carson City (145 sq mi).
- Carson City's land area is 3.1 times (209%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Nevada: Clark County (2,398,871 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 4.1 times (307%) larger than Clark County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Nevada: Esmeralda County (720 people).
- Alpine County's population is 1.5 times (53%) larger than Esmeralda County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Nevada: Douglas County ($109,486).
- Marin County's income is 1.7 times (74%) richer than Douglas County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Nevada: Pershing County ($45,906).
- Pershing County's income is 1.1 times (9%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Nevada Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Nevada has no state income tax.
- California's top rate is 13.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Nevada: 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 Nevada: 8.24%.
- California's combined rate is 0.79 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Nevada official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Nevada 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.