The map above shows California and New Jersey side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs New Jersey Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while New Jersey has 7,355 square miles (19,049 km²). California's land area is 21.2 times larger than New Jersey's.
Total area: California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs New Jersey: 8,719 square miles (22,583 km²), including inland and coastal water. California's total area is 18.8 times larger than New Jersey's.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; New Jersey is 169 miles (271 km). California's north-south length is 4.5 times (350%) longer than New Jersey's.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; New Jersey spans 129 miles (207 km). California's east-west width is 5.5 times (447%) wider than New Jersey's.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); New Jersey's is High Point at 1,798 feet (548 m). Mount Whitney is 12,686 feet higher than High Point.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; New Jersey's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs New Jersey Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while New Jersey has 9,500,851 (2024). California's population is 4.2 times (315%) larger than New Jersey's.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs New Jersey: 1,291.8. New Jersey's population density is 5.1 times (411%) higher than California's.
Biggest city: California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; New Jersey's is Newark with 317,303. Los Angeles' population is 12.2 times larger than Newark's.
Largest metro area: California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs New Jersey's New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (19,940,274). New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's.
History: California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state. New Jersey: Admitted to the Union on December 18, 1787, as the 3rd state. In its current form, New Jersey is the older of the two by 63 years.
California vs New Jersey Economy
GDP: California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs New Jersey's $846.0 billion. California's economic output is 4.8 times (378%) larger than New Jersey's.
GDP per capita: California: $102,662 per person vs New Jersey: $89,045. California's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (15%) higher than New Jersey's.
Average income: California: $86,232 vs New Jersey: $84,893 average income per person (per capita personal income). California and New Jersey have about the same average income.
California vs New Jersey Counties
Number of counties: California has 58 counties, while New Jersey has 21. California's county count is 2.8 times (176%) higher than New Jersey's.
Biggest county by area: California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; New Jersey's is Burlington County at 799 square miles. San Bernardino County's land area is 25.1 times larger than Burlington County's.
Smallest county by area: California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs New Jersey: Hudson County (46 sq mi). San Francisco County and Hudson County have about the same land area.
Most populous county: California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs New Jersey: Bergen County (978,641 people). Los Angeles County's population is 10.0 times (897%) larger than Bergen County's.
Least populous county: California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs New Jersey: Salem County (65,874 people). Salem County's population is 59.9 times larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county: California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs New Jersey: Somerset County ($121,042). Marin County's income is 1.6 times (58%) richer than Somerset County's.
Poorest county: California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs New Jersey: Cumberland County ($50,843). Cumberland County's income is 1.2 times (21%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs New Jersey Taxes
State income tax: California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while New Jersey has a top income tax rate of 10.75%. California's top rate is 2.55 percentage points higher.
Property tax: California: 0.71% effective rate vs New Jersey: 1.89% of home value per year. New Jersey's rate is 1.18 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs New Jersey: 6.6%. California's combined rate is 2.43 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · New Jersey official website
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All New Jersey 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.