The map above shows California and New York side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs New York Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while New York has 47,123 square miles (122,049 km²). California's land area is 3.3 times (231%) larger than New York's.
Total area: California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs New York: 54,559 square miles (141,306 km²), including inland and coastal water. California's total area is 3.0 times (200%) larger than New York's.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; New York is 312 miles (503 km). California's north-south length is 2.4 times (144%) longer than New York's.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; New York spans 415 miles (668 km). California's east-west width is 1.7 times (70%) wider than New York's.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); New York's is Mount Marcy at 5,335 feet (1,626 m). Mount Whitney is 9,149 feet higher than Mount Marcy.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; New York's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet. California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs New York Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while New York has 19,867,248 (2024). California's population is 2.0 times (98%) larger than New York's.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs New York: 421.6. New York's population density is 1.7 times (67%) higher than California's.
Biggest city: California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; New York's is New York with 8,478,072. New York's population is 2.2 times (119%) larger than Los Angeles'.
Largest metro area: California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs New York'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 York: Admitted to the Union on July 26, 1788, as the 11th state. In its current form, New York is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs New York Economy
GDP: California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs New York's $2,322.1 billion. California's economic output is 1.7 times (74%) larger than New York's.
GDP per capita: California: $102,662 per person vs New York: $116,883. New York's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (14%) higher than California's.
Average income: California: $86,232 vs New York: $85,552 average income per person (per capita personal income). California and New York have about the same average income.
California vs New York Counties
Number of counties: California has 58 counties, while New York has 62. New York's county count is 1.1 times (7%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area: California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; New York's is St. Lawrence County at 2,680 square miles. San Bernardino County's land area is 7.5 times (649%) larger than St. Lawrence County's.
Smallest county by area: California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs New York: New York County (23 sq mi). San Francisco County's land area is 2.1 times (106%) larger than New York County's.
Most populous county: California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs New York: Kings County (2,617,631 people). Los Angeles County's population is 3.7 times (273%) larger than Kings County's.
Least populous county: California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs New York: Hamilton County (5,082 people). Hamilton County's population is 4.6 times (362%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county: California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs New York: New York County ($217,075). New York County's income is 1.1 times (14%) richer than Marin County's.
Poorest county: California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs New York: Allegany County ($44,689). Allegany County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs New York Taxes
State income tax: California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while New York has a top income tax rate of 10.9%. California's top rate is 2.4 percentage points higher.
Property tax: California: 0.71% effective rate vs New York: 1.45% of home value per year. New York's rate is 0.74 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs New York: 8.54%. California's combined rate is 0.49 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · New York official website
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All New York 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.