The map above shows California and Michigan side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Michigan Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Michigan has 56,611 square miles (146,622 km²).
- California's land area is 2.8 times (175%) larger than Michigan's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Michigan: 96,713 square miles (250,486 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 1.7 times (69%) larger than Michigan's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Michigan is 489 miles (786 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.6 times (56%) longer than Michigan's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Michigan spans 453 miles (728 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.6 times (56%) wider than Michigan's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Michigan's is Mount Arvon at 2,014 feet (614 m).
- Mount Whitney is 12,470 feet higher than Mount Arvon.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Michigan's is Lake Erie at 571 feet.
- California's lowest point is 850 feet lower.
California vs Michigan Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Michigan has 10,140,459 (2024).
- California's population is 3.9 times (289%) larger than Michigan's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Michigan: 179.1.
- California's population density is 1.4 times (41%) higher than Michigan's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Michigan's is Detroit with 645,705.
- Los Angeles' population is 6.0 times (501%) larger than Detroit's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Michigan's Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area (4,400,578).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 2.9 times (194%) larger than Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Michigan: Admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state.
- In its current form, Michigan is the older of the two by 13 years.
California vs Michigan Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Michigan's $702.5 billion.
- California's economic output is 5.8 times (476%) larger than Michigan's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Michigan: $69,274.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.5 times (48%) higher than Michigan's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Michigan: $63,690 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.4 times (35%) higher than Michigan's.
California vs Michigan Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Michigan has 83.
- Michigan's county count is 1.4 times (43%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Michigan's is Marquette County at 1,809 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 11.1 times larger than Marquette County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Michigan: Benzie County (320 sq mi).
- Benzie County's land area is 6.8 times (585%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Michigan: Wayne County (1,771,063 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 5.5 times (451%) larger than Wayne County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Michigan: Keweenaw County (2,161 people).
- Keweenaw County's population is 2.0 times (97%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Michigan: Oakland County ($93,579).
- Marin County's income is 2.0 times (104%) richer than Oakland County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Michigan: Lake County ($39,505).
- Trinity County's income is 1.1 times (7%) richer than Lake County's.
California vs Michigan Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Michigan has a top income tax rate of 4.25%.
- California's top rate is 9.05 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Michigan: 1.18% of home value per year.
- Michigan's rate is 0.47 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Michigan: 6%.
- California's combined rate is 3.03 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Michigan official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Michigan 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.