The map above shows California and Missouri side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Missouri Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Missouri has 68,746 square miles (178,052 km²). California's land area is 2.3 times (127%) larger than Missouri's.
Total area: California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Missouri: 69,707 square miles (180,540 km²), including inland and coastal water. California's total area is 2.3 times (135%) larger than Missouri's.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Missouri is 328 miles (529 km). California's north-south length is 2.3 times (132%) longer than Missouri's.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Missouri spans 437 miles (703 km). California's east-west width is 1.6 times (62%) wider than Missouri's.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Missouri's is Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,771 feet (540 m). Mount Whitney is 12,713 feet higher than Taum Sauk Mountain.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Missouri's is St. Francis River at 230 feet. California's lowest point is 509 feet lower.
California vs Missouri Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Missouri has 6,245,466 (2024). California's population is 6.3 times (531%) larger than Missouri's.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Missouri: 90.8. California's population density is 2.8 times (179%) higher than Missouri's.
Biggest city: California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Missouri's is Kansas City with 516,032. Los Angeles' population is 7.5 times (652%) larger than Kansas City's.
Largest metro area: California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Missouri's St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (2,811,927). Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 4.6 times (360%) larger than St. Louis, MO-IL metro area's.
History: California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state. Missouri: Admitted to the Union on August 10, 1821, as the 24th state. In its current form, Missouri is the older of the two by 29 years.
California vs Missouri Economy
GDP: California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Missouri's $448.7 billion. California's economic output is 9.0 times (802%) larger than Missouri's.
GDP per capita: California: $102,662 per person vs Missouri: $71,846. California's GDP per capita is 1.4 times (43%) higher than Missouri's.
Average income: California: $86,232 vs Missouri: $64,920 average income per person (per capita personal income). California's average income is 1.3 times (33%) higher than Missouri's.
California vs Missouri Counties
Number of counties: California has 58 counties, while Missouri has 115. Missouri's county count is 2.0 times (98%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area: California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Missouri's is Texas County at 1,177 square miles. San Bernardino County's land area is 17.0 times larger than Texas County's.
Smallest county by area: California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Missouri: St. Louis city (62 sq mi). St. Louis city's land area is 1.3 times (32%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county: California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Missouri: St. Louis County (992,929 people). Los Angeles County's population is 9.8 times (883%) larger than St. Louis County's.
Least populous county: California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Missouri: Worth County (1,872 people). Worth County's population is 1.7 times (70%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county: California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Missouri: St. Louis County ($104,775). Marin County's income is 1.8 times (82%) richer than St. Louis County's.
Poorest county: California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Missouri: Douglas County ($40,515). Trinity County and Douglas County have about the same income.
California vs Missouri Taxes
State income tax: California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Missouri has a top income tax rate of 4.7%. California's top rate is 8.6 percentage points higher.
Property tax: California: 0.71% effective rate vs Missouri: 0.79% of home value per year. Missouri's rate is 0.08 percentage points higher.
Sales tax: California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Missouri: 8.44%. California's combined rate is 0.59 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Missouri official website
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Missouri 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.