The map above shows Alabama and California side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alabama vs California Geography
Land area
- Alabama has a land area of 50,651 square miles (131,185 km²), while California has 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²).
- California's land area is 3.1 times (208%) larger than Alabama's.
Total area
- Alabama: 52,420 square miles (135,767 km²) vs California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 3.1 times (212%) larger than Alabama's.
Length
- Alabama is 331 miles (532 km) long from north to south; California is 761 miles (1,224 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.3 times (130%) longer than Alabama's.
Width
- Alabama spans 212 miles (341 km) east to west; California spans 706 miles (1,137 km).
- California's east-west width is 3.3 times (233%) wider than Alabama's.
Highest point
- Alabama's highest point is Cheaha Mountain at 2,405 feet (733 m); California's is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m).
- Mount Whitney is 12,079 feet higher than Cheaha Mountain.
Lowest point
- Alabama's lowest point is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet; California's is Death Valley at -279 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
Alabama vs California Population and History
Population
- Alabama has a population of 5,157,699 (2024), while California has 39,431,263 (2024).
- California's population is 7.6 times (665%) larger than Alabama's.
Population density
- Alabama: 101.8 people per square mile vs California: 253.0.
- California's population density is 2.5 times (149%) higher than Alabama's.
Biggest city
- Alabama's biggest city is Huntsville with 230,402 people; California's is Los Angeles with 3,878,704.
- Los Angeles' population is 16.8 times larger than Huntsville's.
Largest metro area
- Alabama's largest metropolitan area is Birmingham, AL metro area (1,192,583 people) vs California's Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 10.8 times larger than Birmingham, AL metro area's.
History
- Alabama: Admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819, as the 22nd state.
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- In its current form, Alabama is the older of the two by 31 years.
Alabama vs California Economy
GDP
- Alabama's GDP is $325.3 billion (2024) vs California's $4,048.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 12.4 times larger than Alabama's.
GDP per capita
- Alabama: $63,080 per person vs California: $102,662.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.6 times (63%) higher than Alabama's.
Average income
- Alabama: $57,311 vs California: $86,232 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.5 times (50%) higher than Alabama's.
Alabama vs California Counties
Number of counties
- Alabama has 67 counties, while California has 58.
- Alabama's county count is 1.2 times (16%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- Alabama's largest county is Baldwin County at 1,590 square miles; California's is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 12.6 times larger than Baldwin County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alabama: Etowah County (535 sq mi) vs California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi).
- Etowah County's land area is 11.5 times larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- Alabama: Jefferson County (664,744 people) vs California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 14.7 times larger than Jefferson County's.
Least populous county
- Alabama: Greene County (7,127 people) vs California: Alpine County (1,099 people).
- Greene County's population is 6.5 times (548%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- Alabama: Jefferson County ($75,312 per capita income) vs California: Marin County ($190,891).
- Marin County's income is 2.5 times (153%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- Alabama: Bullock County ($39,403 per capita income) vs California: Trinity County ($42,191).
- Trinity County's income is 1.1 times (7%) richer than Bullock County's.
Alabama vs California Taxes
State income tax
- Alabama has a top income tax rate of 5%, while California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%.
- California's top rate is 8.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alabama: 0.38% effective rate vs California: 0.71% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.33 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alabama: 9.46% combined state and average local rate vs California: 9.03%.
- Alabama's combined rate is 0.43 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alabama official website · California official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alabama size comparisons · All California 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.