The map above shows California and Illinois side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Illinois Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Illinois has 55,513 square miles (143,778 km²).
- California's land area is 2.8 times (181%) larger than Illinois'.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Illinois: 57,913 square miles (149,995 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 2.8 times (183%) larger than Illinois'.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Illinois is 390 miles (628 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.0 times (95%) longer than Illinois'.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Illinois spans 283 miles (456 km).
- California's east-west width is 2.5 times (149%) wider than Illinois'.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Illinois's is Charles Mound at 1,232 feet (376 m).
- Mount Whitney is 13,252 feet higher than Charles Mound.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Illinois's is Mississippi River at 292 feet.
- California's lowest point is 571 feet lower.
California vs Illinois Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Illinois has 12,710,158 (2024).
- California's population is 3.1 times (210%) larger than Illinois'.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Illinois: 229.0.
- California's population density is 1.1 times (10%) higher than Illinois'.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Illinois's is Chicago with 2,721,308.
- Los Angeles' population is 1.4 times (43%) larger than Chicago's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Illinois's Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (9,408,576).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 1.4 times (37%) larger than Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Illinois: Admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, as the 21st state.
- In its current form, Illinois is the older of the two by 32 years.
California vs Illinois Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Illinois's $1,148.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 3.5 times (253%) larger than Illinois'.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Illinois: $90,330.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Illinois'.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Illinois: $74,522 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.2 times (16%) higher than Illinois'.
California vs Illinois Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Illinois has 102.
- Illinois' county count is 1.8 times (76%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Illinois's is McLean County at 1,183 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 17.0 times larger than McLean County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Illinois: Putnam County (160 sq mi).
- Putnam County's land area is 3.4 times (243%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Illinois: Cook County (5,182,617 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 1.9 times (88%) larger than Cook County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Illinois: Hardin County (3,550 people).
- Hardin County's population is 3.2 times (223%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Illinois: Cumberland County ($104,890).
- Marin County's income is 1.8 times (82%) richer than Cumberland County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Illinois: Lawrence County ($43,606).
- Trinity County and Lawrence County have about the same income.
California vs Illinois Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Illinois has a top income tax rate of 4.95%.
- California's top rate is 8.35 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Illinois: 1.92% of home value per year.
- Illinois's rate is 1.21 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Illinois: 8.98%.
- California's combined rate is 0.05 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Illinois official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Illinois 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.