The map above shows California and Idaho side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Idaho Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Idaho has 82,645 square miles (214,051 km²).
- California's land area is 1.9 times (89%) larger than Idaho's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Idaho: 83,569 square miles (216,441 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 2.0 times (96%) larger than Idaho's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Idaho is 483 miles (778 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.6 times (58%) longer than Idaho's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Idaho spans 352 miles (566 km).
- California's east-west width is 2.0 times (101%) wider than Idaho's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Idaho's is Borah Peak at 12,631 feet (3,850 m).
- Mount Whitney is 1,853 feet higher than Borah Peak.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Idaho's is Snake River at 718 feet.
- California's lowest point is 997 feet lower.
California vs Idaho Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Idaho has 2,001,619 (2024).
- California's population is 19.7 times larger than Idaho's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Idaho: 24.2.
- California's population density is 10.5 times higher than Idaho's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Idaho's is Boise with 237,963.
- Los Angeles' population is 16.3 times larger than Boise's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Idaho's Boise City, ID metro area (845,877).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 15.3 times larger than Boise City, ID metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Idaho: Admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 40 years.
California vs Idaho Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Idaho's $129.0 billion.
- California's economic output is 31.4 times larger than Idaho's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Idaho: $64,457.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.6 times (59%) higher than Idaho's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Idaho: $62,323 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.4 times (38%) higher than Idaho's.
California vs Idaho Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Idaho has 44.
- California's county count is 1.3 times (32%) higher than Idaho's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Idaho's is Idaho County at 8,478 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 2.4 times (137%) larger than Idaho County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Idaho: Payette County (407 sq mi).
- Payette County's land area is 8.7 times (771%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Idaho: Ada County (535,799 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 18.2 times larger than Ada County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Idaho: Clark County (794 people).
- Alpine County's population is 1.4 times (38%) larger than Clark County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Idaho: Blaine County ($202,612).
- Blaine County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Marin County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Idaho: Madison County ($29,485).
- Trinity County's income is 1.4 times (43%) richer than Madison County's.
California vs Idaho Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Idaho has a top income tax rate of 5.3%.
- California's top rate is 8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Idaho: 0.43% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.28 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Idaho: 6.03%.
- California's combined rate is 3 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Idaho official website
Download the California vs Idaho Size Comparison Map for free
To download the map, right-click the image above (or press and hold on a phone or tablet) and choose Save image as. The map is free to use anywhere, including on your own website or in print, as long as you credit it with a link back to this page or to BrilliantMaps.com.
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Idaho 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.