The map above shows California and Florida side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Florida Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Florida has 53,655 square miles (138,965 km²).
- California's land area is 2.9 times (190%) larger than Florida's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Florida: 71,404 square miles (184,934 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 2.3 times (129%) larger than Florida's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Florida is 471 miles (758 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.6 times (62%) longer than Florida's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Florida spans 547 miles (880 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.3 times (29%) wider than Florida's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Florida's is Britton Hill at 344 feet (105 m).
- Mount Whitney is 14,140 feet higher than Britton Hill.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Florida's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Florida Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Florida has 23,372,215 (2024).
- California's population is 1.7 times (69%) larger than Florida's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Florida: 435.6.
- Florida's population density is 1.7 times (72%) higher than California's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Florida's is Jacksonville with 1,009,833.
- Los Angeles' population is 3.8 times (284%) larger than Jacksonville's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Florida's Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area (6,457,988).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 2.0 times (100%) larger than Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Florida: Admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845, as the 27th state.
- In its current form, Florida is the older of the two by 5 years.
California vs Florida Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Florida's $1,726.7 billion.
- California's economic output is 2.3 times (134%) larger than Florida's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Florida: $73,879.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.4 times (39%) higher than Florida's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Florida: $73,006 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.2 times (18%) higher than Florida's.
California vs Florida Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Florida has 67.
- Florida's county count is 1.2 times (16%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Florida's is Collier County at 1,997 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 10.0 times larger than Collier County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Florida: Union County (244 sq mi).
- Union County's land area is 5.2 times (422%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Florida: Miami-Dade County (2,838,461 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 3.4 times (244%) larger than Miami-Dade County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Florida: Liberty County (7,955 people).
- Liberty County's population is 7.2 times (624%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Florida: Collier County ($150,140).
- Marin County's income is 1.3 times (27%) richer than Collier County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Florida: Union County ($30,156).
- Trinity County's income is 1.4 times (40%) richer than Union County's.
California vs Florida Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Florida has no state income tax.
- California's top rate is 13.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Florida: 0.75% of home value per year.
- Florida's rate is 0.04 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Florida: 6.98%.
- California's combined rate is 2.05 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Florida official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Florida 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.