The map above shows California and Montana side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Montana Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Montana has 145,550 square miles (376,973 km²).
- California's land area is 1.1 times (7%) larger than Montana's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Montana: 147,043 square miles (380,840 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 1.1 times (11%) larger than Montana's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Montana is 319 miles (514 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.4 times (139%) longer than Montana's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Montana spans 607 miles (976 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.2 times (16%) wider than Montana's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Montana's is Granite Peak at 12,767 feet (3,891 m).
- Mount Whitney is 1,717 feet higher than Granite Peak.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Montana's is Kootenai River at 1,805 feet.
- California's lowest point is 2,084 feet lower.
California vs Montana Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Montana has 1,137,233 (2024).
- California's population is 34.7 times larger than Montana's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Montana: 7.8.
- California's population density is 32.4 times higher than Montana's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Montana's is Billings with 121,483.
- Los Angeles' population is 31.9 times larger than Billings'.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Montana's Billings, MT metro area (192,531).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 67.1 times larger than Billings, MT metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Montana: Admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889, as the 41st state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 39 years.
California vs Montana Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Montana's $78.4 billion.
- California's economic output is 51.6 times larger than Montana's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Montana: $68,975.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.5 times (49%) higher than Montana's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Montana: $69,240 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.2 times (25%) higher than Montana's.
California vs Montana Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Montana has 56.
- California and Montana have about the same county count.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Montana's is Beaverhead County at 5,543 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 3.6 times (262%) larger than Beaverhead County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Montana: Silver Bow County (718 sq mi).
- Silver Bow County's land area is 15.4 times larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Montana: Yellowstone County (171,583 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 56.9 times larger than Yellowstone County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Montana: Petroleum County (525 people).
- Alpine County's population is 2.1 times (109%) larger than Petroleum County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Montana: Gallatin County ($94,573).
- Marin County's income is 2.0 times (102%) richer than Gallatin County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Montana: Blaine County ($37,554).
- Trinity County's income is 1.1 times (12%) richer than Blaine County's.
California vs Montana Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Montana has a top income tax rate of 5.65%.
- California's top rate is 7.65 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Montana: 0.69% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.02 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Montana: 0%.
- California's combined rate is 9.03 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Montana official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Montana 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.