The map above shows Alaska and California side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alaska vs California Geography
Land area
- Alaska has a land area of 571,242 square miles (1,479,509 km²), while California has 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²).
- Alaska's land area is 3.7 times (267%) larger than California's.
Total area
- Alaska: 665,725 square miles (1,724,220 km²) vs California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alaska's total area is 4.1 times (307%) larger than California's.
Length
- Alaska is 1,201 miles (1,933 km) long from north to south; California is 761 miles (1,224 km).
- Alaska's north-south length is 1.6 times (58%) longer than California's.
Width
- Alaska spans 1,544 miles (2,485 km) east to west; California spans 706 miles (1,137 km).
- Alaska's east-west width is 2.2 times (119%) wider than California's.
Highest point
- Alaska's highest point is Denali at 20,235 feet (6,168 m); California's is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m).
- Denali is 5,751 feet higher than Mount Whitney.
Lowest point
- Alaska's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; California's is Death Valley at -279 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
Alaska vs California Population and History
Population
- Alaska has a population of 740,133 (2024), while California has 39,431,263 (2024).
- California's population is 53.3 times larger than Alaska's.
Population density
- Alaska: 1.3 people per square mile vs California: 253.0.
- California's population density is 194.6 times higher than Alaska's.
Biggest city
- Alaska's biggest city is Anchorage with 289,600 people; California's is Los Angeles with 3,878,704.
- Los Angeles' population is 13.4 times larger than Anchorage's.
Largest metro area
- Alaska's largest metropolitan area is Anchorage, AK metro area (407,213 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 31.7 times larger than Anchorage, AK metro area's.
History
- Alaska: Admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959, as the 49th state.
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 109 years.
Alaska vs California Economy
GDP
- Alaska's GDP is $71.6 billion (2024) vs California's $4,048.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 56.5 times larger than Alaska's.
GDP per capita
- Alaska: $96,695 per person vs California: $102,662.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (6%) higher than Alaska's.
Average income
- Alaska: $76,234 vs California: $86,232 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.1 times (13%) higher than Alaska's.
Alaska vs California Counties
Number of counties
- Alaska has 30 counties, while California has 58.
- California's county count is 1.9 times (93%) higher than Alaska's.
Biggest county by area
- Alaska's largest county is Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area at 145,769 square miles; California's is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles.
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area's land area is 7.3 times (626%) larger than San Bernardino County's.
Smallest county by area
- Alaska: Skagway Municipality (443 sq mi) vs California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi).
- Skagway Municipality's land area is 9.5 times (848%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- Alaska: Anchorage Municipality (289,600 people) vs California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 33.7 times larger than Anchorage Municipality's.
Least populous county
- Alaska: Yakutat City and Borough (690 people) vs California: Alpine County (1,099 people).
- Alpine County's population is 1.6 times (59%) larger than Yakutat City and Borough's.
Richest county
- Alaska: Bristol Bay Borough ($158,406 per capita income) vs California: Marin County ($190,891).
- Marin County's income is 1.2 times (21%) richer than Bristol Bay Borough's.
Poorest county
- Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area ($37,765 per capita income) vs California: Trinity County ($42,191).
- Trinity County's income is 1.1 times (12%) richer than Kusilvak Census Area's.
Alaska vs California Taxes
State income tax
- Alaska has no state income tax, while California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%.
- California's top rate is 13.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Alaska: 1.06% effective rate vs California: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Alaska's rate is 0.35 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Alaska: 1.82% combined state and average local rate vs California: 9.03%.
- California's combined rate is 7.21 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Alaska official website · California official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alaska 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.