The map above shows California and North Carolina side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs North Carolina Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while North Carolina has 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²).
- California's land area is 3.2 times (221%) larger than North Carolina's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 3.0 times (204%) larger than North Carolina's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.9 times (195%) longer than North Carolina's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.4 times (45%) wider than North Carolina's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); North Carolina's is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m).
- Mount Whitney is 7,810 feet higher than Mount Mitchell.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; North Carolina's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs North Carolina Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while North Carolina has 11,046,024 (2024).
- California's population is 3.6 times (257%) larger than North Carolina's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs North Carolina: 227.2.
- California's population density is 1.1 times (11%) higher than North Carolina's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; North Carolina's is Charlotte with 943,476.
- Los Angeles' population is 4.1 times (311%) larger than Charlotte's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs North Carolina's Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 4.5 times (348%) larger than Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state.
- In its current form, North Carolina is the older of the two by 61 years.
California vs North Carolina Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs North Carolina's $844.2 billion.
- California's economic output is 4.8 times (380%) larger than North Carolina's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs North Carolina: $76,427.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (34%) higher than North Carolina's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs North Carolina: $65,634 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.3 times (31%) higher than North Carolina's.
California vs North Carolina Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while North Carolina has 100.
- North Carolina's county count is 1.7 times (72%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; North Carolina's is Robeson County at 947 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 21.2 times larger than Robeson County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs North Carolina: Chowan County (173 sq mi).
- Chowan County's land area is 3.7 times (270%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs North Carolina: Wake County (1,232,444 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 7.9 times (692%) larger than Wake County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs North Carolina: Tyrrell County (3,517 people).
- Tyrrell County's population is 3.2 times (220%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs North Carolina: Chatham County ($91,638).
- Marin County's income is 2.1 times (108%) richer than Chatham County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs North Carolina: Warren County ($40,932).
- Trinity County and Warren County have about the same income.
California vs North Carolina Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while North Carolina has a top income tax rate of 3.99%.
- California's top rate is 9.31 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs North Carolina: 0.61% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.1 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs North Carolina: 7.1%.
- California's combined rate is 1.93 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · North Carolina official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All North Carolina 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.