The map above shows California and Kansas side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Kansas Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Kansas has 81,759 square miles (211,754 km²).
- California's land area is 1.9 times (91%) larger than Kansas'.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Kansas: 82,278 square miles (213,100 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 2.0 times (99%) larger than Kansas'.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Kansas is 207 miles (334 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.7 times (268%) longer than Kansas'.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Kansas spans 401 miles (645 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.8 times (76%) wider than Kansas'.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Kansas's is Mount Sunflower at 4,040 feet (1,231 m).
- Mount Whitney is 10,444 feet higher than Mount Sunflower.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Kansas's is Verdigris River at 679 feet.
- California's lowest point is 958 feet lower.
California vs Kansas Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Kansas has 2,970,606 (2024).
- California's population is 13.3 times larger than Kansas'.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Kansas: 36.3.
- California's population density is 7.0 times (597%) higher than Kansas'.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Kansas's is Wichita with 400,991.
- Los Angeles' population is 9.7 times (867%) larger than Wichita's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Kansas's Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (2,253,579).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 5.7 times (474%) larger than Kansas City, MO-KS metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Kansas: Admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861, as the 34th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 11 years.
California vs Kansas Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Kansas's $230.5 billion.
- California's economic output is 17.6 times larger than Kansas'.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Kansas: $77,601.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (32%) higher than Kansas'.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Kansas: $65,856 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.3 times (31%) higher than Kansas'.
California vs Kansas Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Kansas has 105.
- Kansas' county count is 1.8 times (81%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Kansas's is Butler County at 1,430 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 14.0 times larger than Butler County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Kansas: Wyandotte County (152 sq mi).
- Wyandotte County's land area is 3.2 times (225%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Kansas: Johnson County (632,276 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 15.4 times larger than Johnson County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Kansas: Greeley County (1,152 people).
- Greeley County's population is 1.0 times (5%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Kansas: Greeley County ($134,780).
- Marin County's income is 1.4 times (42%) richer than Greeley County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Kansas: Wyandotte County ($42,878).
- Trinity County and Wyandotte County have about the same income.
California vs Kansas Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Kansas has a top income tax rate of 5.58%.
- California's top rate is 7.72 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Kansas: 1.25% of home value per year.
- Kansas's rate is 0.54 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Kansas: 8.71%.
- California's combined rate is 0.32 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Kansas official website
Download the California vs Kansas 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 Kansas 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.