The map above shows California and Maryland side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Maryland Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Maryland has 9,711 square miles (25,151 km²).
- California's land area is 16.0 times larger than Maryland's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Maryland: 12,406 square miles (32,131 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 13.2 times larger than Maryland's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Maryland is 231 miles (371 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.3 times (229%) longer than Maryland's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Maryland spans 243 miles (391 km).
- California's east-west width is 2.9 times (191%) wider than Maryland's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Maryland's is Hoye-Crest at 3,362 feet (1,025 m).
- Mount Whitney is 11,122 feet higher than Hoye-Crest.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Maryland's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Maryland Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Maryland has 6,263,220 (2024).
- California's population is 6.3 times (530%) larger than Maryland's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Maryland: 645.0.
- Maryland's population density is 2.5 times (155%) higher than California's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Maryland's is Baltimore with 568,271.
- Los Angeles' population is 6.8 times (583%) larger than Baltimore's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Maryland's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 2.0 times (101%) larger than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Maryland: Admitted to the Union on April 28, 1788, as the 7th state.
- In its current form, Maryland is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs Maryland Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Maryland's $546.0 billion.
- California's economic output is 7.4 times (641%) larger than Maryland's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Maryland: $87,180.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (18%) higher than Maryland's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Maryland: $79,259 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.1 times (9%) higher than Maryland's.
California vs Maryland Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Maryland has 24.
- California's county count is 2.4 times (142%) higher than Maryland's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Maryland's is Frederick County at 661 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 30.4 times larger than Frederick County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Maryland: Baltimore city (81 sq mi).
- Baltimore city's land area is 1.7 times (73%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Maryland: Montgomery County (1,082,273 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 9.0 times (802%) larger than Montgomery County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Maryland: Kent County (19,557 people).
- Kent County's population is 17.8 times larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Maryland: Montgomery County ($104,882).
- Marin County's income is 1.8 times (82%) richer than Montgomery County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Maryland: Somerset County ($41,421).
- Trinity County and Somerset County have about the same income.
California vs Maryland Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Maryland has a top income tax rate of 6.5%.
- California's top rate is 6.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Maryland: 0.95% of home value per year.
- Maryland's rate is 0.24 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Maryland: 6%.
- California's combined rate is 3.03 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Maryland official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Maryland 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.