The map above shows California and Mississippi side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Mississippi Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Mississippi has 46,925 square miles (121,534 km²). California's land area is 3.3 times (232%) larger than Mississippi's.
Total area: California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Mississippi: 48,436 square miles (125,448 km²), including inland and coastal water. California's total area is 3.4 times (238%) larger than Mississippi's.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Mississippi is 337 miles (542 km). California's north-south length is 2.3 times (126%) longer than Mississippi's.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Mississippi spans 340 miles (547 km). California's east-west width is 2.1 times (108%) wider than Mississippi's.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Mississippi's is Woodall Mountain at 805 feet (245 m). Mount Whitney is 13,679 feet higher than Woodall Mountain.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Mississippi's is Gulf of Mexico at 0 feet. California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Mississippi Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Mississippi has 2,943,045 (2024). California's population is 13.4 times larger than Mississippi's.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Mississippi: 62.7. California's population density is 4.0 times (304%) higher than Mississippi's.
Biggest city: California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Mississippi's is Jackson with 141,449. Los Angeles' population is 27.4 times larger than Jackson's.
Largest metro area: California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Mississippi's Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (1,339,345). Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 9.7 times (865%) larger than Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area's.
History: California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state. Mississippi: Admitted to the Union on December 10, 1817, as the 20th state. In its current form, Mississippi is the older of the two by 33 years.
California vs Mississippi Economy
GDP: California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Mississippi's $158.2 billion. California's economic output is 25.6 times larger than Mississippi's.
GDP per capita: California: $102,662 per person vs Mississippi: $53,751. California's GDP per capita is 1.9 times (91%) higher than Mississippi's.
Average income: California: $86,232 vs Mississippi: $52,074 average income per person (per capita personal income). California's average income is 1.7 times (66%) higher than Mississippi's.
California vs Mississippi Counties
Number of counties: California has 58 counties, while Mississippi has 82. Mississippi's county count is 1.4 times (41%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area: California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Mississippi's is Yazoo County at 922 square miles. San Bernardino County's land area is 21.8 times larger than Yazoo County's.
Smallest county by area: California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Mississippi: Alcorn County (400 sq mi). Alcorn County's land area is 8.6 times (757%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county: California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Mississippi: Harrison County (213,730 people). Los Angeles County's population is 45.7 times larger than Harrison County's.
Least populous county: California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Mississippi: Issaquena County (1,295 people). Issaquena County's population is 1.2 times (18%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county: California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Mississippi: Madison County ($90,668). Marin County's income is 2.1 times (111%) richer than Madison County's.
Poorest county: California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Mississippi: Issaquena County ($27,264). Trinity County's income is 1.5 times (55%) richer than Issaquena County's.
California vs Mississippi Taxes
State income tax: California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Mississippi has a top income tax rate of 4%. California's top rate is 9.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax: California: 0.71% effective rate vs Mississippi: 0.65% of home value per year. California's rate is 0.06 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Mississippi: 7.06%. California's combined rate is 1.97 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Mississippi official website
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Mississippi 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.