The map above shows California and Hawaii side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Hawaii Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Hawaii has 6,423 square miles (16,634 km²).
- California's land area is 24.3 times larger than Hawaii's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Hawaii: 10,970 square miles (28,412 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 14.9 times larger than Hawaii's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Hawaii is 333 miles (536 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.3 times (129%) longer than Hawaii's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Hawaii spans 386 miles (621 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.8 times (83%) wider than Hawaii's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Hawaii's is Mauna Kea at 13,795 feet (4,205 m).
- Mount Whitney is 689 feet higher than Mauna Kea.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Hawaii's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Hawaii Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Hawaii has 1,446,146 (2024).
- California's population is 27.3 times larger than Hawaii's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Hawaii: 225.2.
- California's population density is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Hawaii's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Hawaii's is Honolulu with 344,967.
- Los Angeles' population is 11.2 times larger than Honolulu's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Hawaii's Urban Honolulu, HI metro area (998,747).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 12.9 times larger than Urban Honolulu, HI metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Hawaii: Admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, as the 50th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 109 years.
California vs Hawaii Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Hawaii's $117.6 billion.
- California's economic output is 34.4 times larger than Hawaii's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Hawaii: $81,339.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (26%) higher than Hawaii's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Hawaii: $71,019 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.2 times (21%) higher than Hawaii's.
California vs Hawaii Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Hawaii has 5.
- California's county count is 11.6 times higher than Hawaii's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Hawaii's is Hawaii County at 4,028 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 5.0 times (398%) larger than Hawaii County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Hawaii: Kalawao County (12 sq mi).
- San Francisco County's land area is 3.9 times (289%) larger than Kalawao County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Hawaii: Honolulu County (998,747 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 9.8 times (877%) larger than Honolulu County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Hawaii: Kalawao County (81 people).
- Alpine County's population is 13.6 times larger than Kalawao County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Hawaii: Honolulu County ($74,681).
- Marin County's income is 2.6 times (156%) richer than Honolulu County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Hawaii: Hawaii County ($57,694).
- Hawaii County's income is 1.4 times (37%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Hawaii Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Hawaii has a top income tax rate of 11%.
- California's top rate is 2.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Hawaii: 0.27% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.44 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Hawaii: 4.5%.
- California's combined rate is 4.53 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Hawaii official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Hawaii 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.