The map above shows Arkansas and California side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Arkansas vs California Geography
Land area
- Arkansas has a land area of 51,992 square miles (134,658 km²), while California has 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²).
- California's land area is 3.0 times (200%) larger than Arkansas'.
Total area
- Arkansas: 53,198 square miles (137,781 km²) vs California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 3.1 times (208%) larger than Arkansas'.
Length
- Arkansas is 243 miles (392 km) long from north to south; California is 761 miles (1,224 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.1 times (213%) longer than Arkansas'.
Width
- Arkansas spans 279 miles (449 km) east to west; California spans 706 miles (1,137 km).
- California's east-west width is 2.5 times (153%) wider than Arkansas'.
Highest point
- Arkansas's highest point is Mount Magazine at 2,752 feet (839 m); California's is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m).
- Mount Whitney is 11,732 feet higher than Mount Magazine.
Lowest point
- Arkansas's lowest point is Ouachita River at 55 feet; California's is Death Valley at -279 feet.
- California's lowest point is 334 feet lower.
Arkansas vs California Population and History
Population
- Arkansas has a population of 3,088,354 (2024), while California has 39,431,263 (2024).
- California's population is 12.8 times larger than Arkansas'.
Population density
- Arkansas: 59.4 people per square mile vs California: 253.0.
- California's population density is 4.3 times (326%) higher than Arkansas'.
Biggest city
- Arkansas's biggest city is Little Rock with 204,774 people; California's is Los Angeles with 3,878,704.
- Los Angeles' population is 18.9 times larger than Little Rock's.
Largest metro area
- Arkansas's largest metropolitan area is Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (1,339,345 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 9.7 times (865%) larger than Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area's.
History
- Arkansas: Admitted to the Union on June 15, 1836, as the 25th state.
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- In its current form, Arkansas is the older of the two by 14 years.
Arkansas vs California Economy
GDP
- Arkansas's GDP is $188.3 billion (2024) vs California's $4,048.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 21.5 times larger than Arkansas'.
GDP per capita
- Arkansas: $60,984 per person vs California: $102,662.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.7 times (68%) higher than Arkansas'.
Average income
- Arkansas: $59,320 vs California: $86,232 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.5 times (45%) higher than Arkansas'.
Arkansas vs California Counties
Number of counties
- Arkansas has 75 counties, while California has 58.
- Arkansas' county count is 1.3 times (29%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- Arkansas's largest county is Union County at 1,039 square miles; California's is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 19.3 times larger than Union County's.
Smallest county by area
- Arkansas: Lafayette County (530 sq mi) vs California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi).
- Lafayette County's land area is 11.3 times larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- Arkansas: Pulaski County (401,209 people) vs California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 24.3 times larger than Pulaski County's.
Least populous county
- Arkansas: Calhoun County (4,690 people) vs California: Alpine County (1,099 people).
- Calhoun County's population is 4.3 times (327%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- Arkansas: Benton County ($120,594 per capita income) vs California: Marin County ($190,891).
- Marin County's income is 1.6 times (58%) richer than Benton County's.
Poorest county
- Arkansas: Lincoln County ($36,032 per capita income) vs California: Trinity County ($42,191).
- Trinity County's income is 1.2 times (17%) richer than Lincoln County's.
Arkansas vs California Taxes
State income tax
- Arkansas has a top income tax rate of 3.9%, while California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%.
- California's top rate is 9.4 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Arkansas: 0.52% effective rate vs California: 0.71% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.19 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Arkansas: 9.48% combined state and average local rate vs California: 9.03%.
- Arkansas's combined rate is 0.45 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Arkansas official website · California official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Arkansas 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.