The map above shows California and Massachusetts side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Massachusetts Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Massachusetts has 7,801 square miles (20,204 km²).
- California's land area is 20.0 times larger than Massachusetts'.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Massachusetts: 10,554 square miles (27,335 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 15.5 times larger than Massachusetts'.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Massachusetts is 123 miles (198 km).
- California's north-south length is 6.2 times (519%) longer than Massachusetts'.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Massachusetts spans 185 miles (297 km).
- California's east-west width is 3.8 times (282%) wider than Massachusetts'.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Massachusetts's is Mount Greylock at 3,489 feet (1,063 m).
- Mount Whitney is 10,995 feet higher than Mount Greylock.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Massachusetts's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Massachusetts Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Massachusetts has 7,136,171 (2024).
- California's population is 5.5 times (453%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Massachusetts: 914.8.
- Massachusetts' population density is 3.6 times (262%) higher than California's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Massachusetts's is Boston with 673,458.
- Los Angeles' population is 5.8 times (476%) larger than Boston's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Massachusetts's Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 2.6 times (157%) larger than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Massachusetts: Admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788, as the 6th state.
- In its current form, Massachusetts is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs Massachusetts Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Massachusetts's $778.5 billion.
- California's economic output is 5.2 times (420%) larger than Massachusetts'.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Massachusetts: $109,095.
- Massachusetts' GDP per capita is 1.1 times (6%) higher than California's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Massachusetts: $93,607 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Massachusetts' average income is 1.1 times (9%) higher than California's.
California vs Massachusetts Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Massachusetts has 14.
- California's county count is 4.1 times (314%) higher than Massachusetts'.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Massachusetts's is Worcester County at 1,511 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 13.3 times larger than Worcester County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County (46 sq mi).
- San Francisco County and Nantucket County have about the same land area.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Massachusetts: Middlesex County (1,668,956 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 5.8 times (485%) larger than Middlesex County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County (14,670 people).
- Nantucket County's population is 13.3 times larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Massachusetts: Nantucket County ($129,250).
- Marin County's income is 1.5 times (48%) richer than Nantucket County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Massachusetts: Hampshire County ($65,432).
- Hampshire County's income is 1.6 times (55%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Massachusetts Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Massachusetts has a top income tax rate of 9%.
- California's top rate is 4.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Massachusetts: 1% of home value per year.
- Massachusetts's rate is 0.29 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Massachusetts: 6.25%.
- California's combined rate is 2.78 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Massachusetts official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Massachusetts 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.