The map above shows California and North Dakota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs North Dakota Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while North Dakota has 68,994 square miles (178,694 km²).
- California's land area is 2.3 times (126%) larger than North Dakota's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs North Dakota: 70,699 square miles (183,109 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 2.3 times (132%) larger than North Dakota's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; North Dakota is 338 miles (544 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.3 times (125%) longer than North Dakota's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; North Dakota spans 408 miles (657 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.7 times (73%) wider than North Dakota's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); North Dakota's is White Butte at 3,500 feet (1,067 m).
- Mount Whitney is 10,984 feet higher than White Butte.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; North Dakota's is Red River of the North at 754 feet.
- California's lowest point is 1,033 feet lower.
California vs North Dakota Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while North Dakota has 796,568 (2024).
- California's population is 49.5 times larger than North Dakota's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs North Dakota: 11.5.
- California's population density is 22.0 times higher than North Dakota's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; North Dakota's is Fargo with 136,285.
- Los Angeles' population is 28.5 times larger than Fargo's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs North Dakota's Fargo, ND-MN metro area (267,793).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 48.3 times larger than Fargo, ND-MN metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- North Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 39th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 39 years.
California vs North Dakota Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs North Dakota's $80.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 50.5 times larger than North Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs North Dakota: $100,504.
- California and North Dakota have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs North Dakota: $71,749 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.2 times (20%) higher than North Dakota's.
California vs North Dakota Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while North Dakota has 53.
- California's county count is 1.1 times (9%) higher than North Dakota's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; North Dakota's is McKenzie County at 2,760 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 7.3 times (627%) larger than McKenzie County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs North Dakota: Eddy County (630 sq mi).
- Eddy County's land area is 13.5 times larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs North Dakota: Cass County (200,945 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 48.6 times larger than Cass County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs North Dakota: Slope County (660 people).
- Alpine County's population is 1.7 times (67%) larger than Slope County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs North Dakota: Dunn County ($99,793).
- Marin County's income is 1.9 times (91%) richer than Dunn County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs North Dakota: Sioux County ($33,782).
- Trinity County's income is 1.2 times (25%) richer than Sioux County's.
California vs North Dakota Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while North Dakota has a top income tax rate of 2.5%.
- California's top rate is 10.8 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs North Dakota: 0.96% of home value per year.
- North Dakota's rate is 0.25 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs North Dakota: 7.09%.
- California's combined rate is 1.94 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · North Dakota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All North Dakota 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.