The map above shows California and Pennsylvania side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Pennsylvania Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Pennsylvania has 44,742 square miles (115,882 km²). California's land area is 3.5 times (248%) larger than Pennsylvania's.
Total area: California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Pennsylvania: 46,054 square miles (119,279 km²), including inland and coastal water. California's total area is 3.6 times (255%) larger than Pennsylvania's.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Pennsylvania is 284 miles (458 km). California's north-south length is 2.7 times (168%) longer than Pennsylvania's.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Pennsylvania spans 307 miles (495 km). California's east-west width is 2.3 times (130%) wider than Pennsylvania's.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Pennsylvania's is Mount Davis at 3,210 feet (978 m). Mount Whitney is 11,274 feet higher than Mount Davis.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Pennsylvania's is Delaware River at 0 feet. California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Pennsylvania Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Pennsylvania has 13,078,751 (2024). California's population is 3.0 times (201%) larger than Pennsylvania's.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Pennsylvania: 292.3. Pennsylvania's population density is 1.2 times (16%) higher than California's.
Biggest city: California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Pennsylvania's is Philadelphia with 1,573,916. Los Angeles' population is 2.5 times (146%) larger than Philadelphia's.
Largest metro area: California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Pennsylvania'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. Pennsylvania: Admitted to the Union on December 12, 1787, as the 2nd state. In its current form, Pennsylvania is the older of the two by 63 years.
California vs Pennsylvania Economy
GDP: California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Pennsylvania's $1,007.9 billion. California's economic output is 4.0 times (302%) larger than Pennsylvania's.
GDP per capita: California: $102,662 per person vs Pennsylvania: $77,062. California's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (33%) higher than Pennsylvania's.
Average income: California: $86,232 vs Pennsylvania: $70,678 average income per person (per capita personal income). California's average income is 1.2 times (22%) higher than Pennsylvania's.
California vs Pennsylvania Counties
Number of counties: California has 58 counties, while Pennsylvania has 67. Pennsylvania's county count is 1.2 times (16%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area: California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Pennsylvania's is Lycoming County at 1,229 square miles. San Bernardino County's land area is 16.3 times larger than Lycoming County's.
Smallest county by area: California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Pennsylvania: Montour County (130 sq mi). Montour County's land area is 2.8 times (179%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county: California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Pennsylvania: Philadelphia County (1,573,916 people). Los Angeles County's population is 6.2 times (520%) larger than Philadelphia County's.
Least populous county: California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Pennsylvania: Cameron County (4,348 people). Cameron County's population is 4.0 times (296%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county: California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Pennsylvania: Chester County ($110,883). Marin County's income is 1.7 times (72%) richer than Chester County's.
Poorest county: California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Pennsylvania: Forest County ($30,234). Trinity County's income is 1.4 times (40%) richer than Forest County's.
California vs Pennsylvania Taxes
State income tax: California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Pennsylvania has a top income tax rate of 3.07%. California's top rate is 10.23 percentage points higher.
Property tax: California: 0.71% effective rate vs Pennsylvania: 1.16% of home value per year. Pennsylvania's rate is 0.45 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Pennsylvania: 6.34%. California's combined rate is 2.69 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Pennsylvania official website
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Pennsylvania 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.