The map above shows California and Tennessee side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Tennessee Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Tennessee has 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²).
- California's land area is 3.8 times (278%) larger than Tennessee's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 3.9 times (289%) larger than Tennessee's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km).
- California's north-south length is 4.0 times (298%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.4 times (42%) wider than Tennessee's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Tennessee's is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m).
- Mount Whitney is 7,860 feet higher than Clingmans Dome.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Tennessee's is Mississippi River at 178 feet.
- California's lowest point is 457 feet lower.
California vs Tennessee Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Tennessee has 7,227,750 (2024).
- California's population is 5.5 times (446%) larger than Tennessee's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Tennessee: 175.3.
- California's population density is 1.4 times (44%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Tennessee's is Nashville with 704,963.
- Los Angeles' population is 5.5 times (450%) larger than Nashville's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Tennessee's Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 6.0 times (501%) larger than Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Tennessee: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state.
- In its current form, Tennessee is the older of the two by 54 years.
California vs Tennessee Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Tennessee's $561.2 billion.
- California's economic output is 7.2 times (621%) larger than Tennessee's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Tennessee: $77,645.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (32%) higher than Tennessee's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Tennessee: $66,504 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.3 times (30%) higher than Tennessee's.
California vs Tennessee Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Tennessee has 95.
- Tennessee's county count is 1.6 times (64%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Tennessee's is Shelby County at 753 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 26.7 times larger than Shelby County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi).
- Trousdale County's land area is 2.4 times (145%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 10.7 times larger than Shelby County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people).
- Pickett County's population is 4.6 times (365%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704).
- Marin County's income is 1.4 times (37%) richer than Williamson County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572).
- Trinity County's income is 1.3 times (34%) richer than Lake County's.
California vs Tennessee Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Tennessee has no state income tax.
- California's top rate is 13.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Tennessee: 0.45% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.26 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Tennessee: 9.61%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 0.58 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Tennessee official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Tennessee 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.