The map above shows California and New York side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs New York Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while New York has 47,123 square miles (122,049 km²).
- California's land area is 3.3 times (231%) larger than New York's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs New York: 54,559 square miles (141,306 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 3.0 times (200%) larger than New York's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; New York is 312 miles (503 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.4 times (144%) longer than New York's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; New York spans 415 miles (668 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.7 times (70%) wider than New York's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); New York's is Mount Marcy at 5,335 feet (1,626 m).
- Mount Whitney is 9,149 feet higher than Mount Marcy.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; New York's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs New York Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while New York has 19,867,248 (2024).
- California's population is 2.0 times (98%) larger than New York's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs New York: 421.6.
- New York's population density is 1.7 times (67%) higher than California's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; New York's is New York with 8,478,072.
- New York's population is 2.2 times (119%) larger than Los Angeles'.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs New York's New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (19,940,274).
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- New York: Admitted to the Union on July 26, 1788, as the 11th state.
- In its current form, New York is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs New York Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs New York's $2,322.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 1.7 times (74%) larger than New York's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs New York: $116,883.
- New York's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (14%) higher than California's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs New York: $85,552 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California and New York have about the same average income.
California vs New York Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while New York has 62.
- New York's county count is 1.1 times (7%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; New York's is St. Lawrence County at 2,680 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 7.5 times (649%) larger than St. Lawrence County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs New York: New York County (23 sq mi).
- San Francisco County's land area is 2.1 times (106%) larger than New York County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs New York: Kings County (2,617,631 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 3.7 times (273%) larger than Kings County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs New York: Hamilton County (5,082 people).
- Hamilton County's population is 4.6 times (362%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs New York: New York County ($217,075).
- New York County's income is 1.1 times (14%) richer than Marin County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs New York: Allegany County ($44,689).
- Allegany County's income is 1.1 times (6%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs New York Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while New York has a top income tax rate of 10.9%.
- California's top rate is 2.4 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs New York: 1.45% of home value per year.
- New York's rate is 0.74 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs New York: 8.54%.
- California's combined rate is 0.49 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · New York official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All New York 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.