The map above shows California and Kentucky side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Kentucky Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Kentucky has 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²).
- California's land area is 3.9 times (295%) larger than Kentucky's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 4.1 times (305%) larger than Kentucky's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.0 times (196%) longer than Kentucky's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.7 times (69%) wider than Kentucky's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Kentucky's is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m).
- Mount Whitney is 10,350 feet higher than Black Mountain.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Kentucky's is Mississippi River at 270 feet.
- California's lowest point is 549 feet lower.
California vs Kentucky Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Kentucky has 4,588,372 (2024).
- California's population is 8.6 times (759%) larger than Kentucky's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Kentucky: 116.2.
- California's population density is 2.2 times (118%) higher than Kentucky's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Kentucky's is Louisville with 640,796.
- Los Angeles' population is 6.1 times (505%) larger than Louisville's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Kentucky's Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 5.6 times (461%) larger than Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 58 years.
California vs Kentucky Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Kentucky's $295.4 billion.
- California's economic output is 13.7 times larger than Kentucky's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Kentucky: $64,375.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.6 times (59%) higher than Kentucky's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Kentucky: $58,256 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.5 times (48%) higher than Kentucky's.
California vs Kentucky Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Kentucky has 120.
- Kentucky's county count is 2.1 times (107%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Kentucky's is Pike County at 786 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 25.5 times larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi).
- Gallatin County's land area is 2.1 times (110%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 12.3 times larger than Jefferson County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people).
- Robertson County's population is 2.2 times (117%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137).
- Marin County's income is 2.2 times (119%) richer than Oldham County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817).
- Trinity County's income is 1.3 times (33%) richer than Elliott County's.
California vs Kentucky Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%.
- California's top rate is 9.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Kentucky: 0.71% of home value per year.
- The two are essentially equal.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Kentucky: 6%.
- California's combined rate is 3.03 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Kentucky official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Kentucky 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.