The map above shows California and Colorado side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Colorado Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Colorado has 103,637 square miles (268,419 km²).
- California's land area is 1.5 times (50%) larger than Colorado's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Colorado: 104,095 square miles (269,605 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 1.6 times (57%) larger than Colorado's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Colorado is 467 miles (751 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.6 times (63%) longer than Colorado's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Colorado spans 387 miles (622 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.8 times (82%) wider than Colorado's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Colorado's is Mount Elbert at 14,422 feet (4,396 m).
- Mount Whitney is 62 feet higher than Mount Elbert.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Colorado's is Arikaree River at 3,326 feet.
- California's lowest point is 3,605 feet lower.
California vs Colorado Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Colorado has 5,957,493 (2024).
- California's population is 6.6 times (562%) larger than Colorado's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Colorado: 57.5.
- California's population density is 4.4 times (340%) higher than Colorado's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Colorado's is Denver with 729,019.
- Los Angeles' population is 5.3 times (432%) larger than Denver's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Colorado's Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (3,052,498).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 4.2 times (324%) larger than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Colorado: Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, as the 38th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 26 years.
California vs Colorado Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Colorado's $557.6 billion.
- California's economic output is 7.3 times (626%) larger than Colorado's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Colorado: $93,602.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (10%) higher than Colorado's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Colorado: $83,055 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California and Colorado have about the same average income.
California vs Colorado Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Colorado has 64.
- Colorado's county count is 1.1 times (10%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Colorado's is Las Animas County at 4,773 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 4.2 times (320%) larger than Las Animas County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Colorado: Broomfield County (33 sq mi).
- San Francisco County's land area is 1.4 times (42%) larger than Broomfield County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Colorado: El Paso County (752,772 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 13.0 times larger than El Paso County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Colorado: Hinsdale County (747 people).
- Alpine County's population is 1.5 times (47%) larger than Hinsdale County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Colorado: Pitkin County ($275,044).
- Pitkin County's income is 1.4 times (44%) richer than Marin County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Colorado: Crowley County ($27,232).
- Trinity County's income is 1.5 times (55%) richer than Crowley County's.
California vs Colorado Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Colorado has a top income tax rate of 4.4%.
- California's top rate is 8.9 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Colorado: 0.49% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.22 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Colorado: 7.89%.
- California's combined rate is 1.14 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Colorado official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Colorado 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.