The map above shows California and New Mexico side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs New Mexico Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while New Mexico has 121,313 square miles (314,198 km²).
- California's land area is 1.3 times (28%) larger than New Mexico's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs New Mexico: 121,593 square miles (314,925 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 1.3 times (35%) larger than New Mexico's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; New Mexico is 395 miles (635 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.9 times (93%) longer than New Mexico's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; New Mexico spans 498 miles (801 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.4 times (42%) wider than New Mexico's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); New Mexico's is Wheeler Peak at 13,150 feet (4,008 m).
- Mount Whitney is 1,334 feet higher than Wheeler Peak.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; New Mexico's is Red Bluff Reservoir at 2,842 feet.
- California's lowest point is 3,121 feet lower.
California vs New Mexico Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while New Mexico has 2,130,256 (2024).
- California's population is 18.5 times larger than New Mexico's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs New Mexico: 17.6.
- California's population density is 14.4 times higher than New Mexico's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; New Mexico's is Albuquerque with 560,326.
- Los Angeles' population is 6.9 times (592%) larger than Albuquerque's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs New Mexico's Albuquerque, NM metro area (926,303).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 14.0 times larger than Albuquerque, NM metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- New Mexico: Admitted to the Union on January 6, 1912, as the 47th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs New Mexico Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs New Mexico's $147.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 27.5 times larger than New Mexico's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs New Mexico: $69,046.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.5 times (49%) higher than New Mexico's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs New Mexico: $58,249 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.5 times (48%) higher than New Mexico's.
California vs New Mexico Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while New Mexico has 33.
- California's county count is 1.8 times (76%) higher than New Mexico's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; New Mexico's is Catron County at 6,924 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 2.9 times (190%) larger than Catron County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs New Mexico: Los Alamos County (109 sq mi).
- Los Alamos County's land area is 2.3 times (134%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs New Mexico: Bernalillo County (671,747 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 14.5 times larger than Bernalillo County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs New Mexico: Harding County (635 people).
- Alpine County's population is 1.7 times (73%) larger than Harding County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs New Mexico: Los Alamos County ($98,378).
- Marin County's income is 1.9 times (94%) richer than Los Alamos County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs New Mexico: Cibola County ($36,397).
- Trinity County's income is 1.2 times (16%) richer than Cibola County's.
California vs New Mexico Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while New Mexico has a top income tax rate of 5.9%.
- California's top rate is 7.4 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs New Mexico: 0.63% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.08 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs New Mexico: 7.68%.
- California's combined rate is 1.35 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · New Mexico official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All New Mexico 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.