The map above shows California and Puerto Rico side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Puerto Rico Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Puerto Rico has 3,424 square miles (8,868 km²).
- California's land area is 45.5 times larger than Puerto Rico's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Puerto Rico: 3,515 square miles (9,104 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 46.6 times larger than Puerto Rico's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Puerto Rico is 67 miles (107 km).
- California's north-south length is 11.4 times longer than Puerto Rico's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Puerto Rico spans 174 miles (279 km).
- California's east-west width is 4.1 times (306%) wider than Puerto Rico's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Puerto Rico's is Cerro de Punta at 4,390 feet (1,338 m).
- Mount Whitney is 10,094 feet higher than Cerro de Punta.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Puerto Rico's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Puerto Rico Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Puerto Rico has 3,285,874 (2020).
- California's population is 12.0 times larger than Puerto Rico's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Puerto Rico: 959.7.
- Puerto Rico's population density is 3.8 times (279%) higher than California's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Puerto Rico's is San Juan with 342,259.
- Los Angeles' population is 11.3 times larger than San Juan's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Puerto Rico's San Juan metro area (2,233,177).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 5.8 times (479%) larger than San Juan metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Puerto Rico: A US territory since 1898; a commonwealth since 1952.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 48 years.
California vs Puerto Rico Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Puerto Rico's $129.0 billion.
- California's economic output is 31.4 times larger than Puerto Rico's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Puerto Rico: $40,650.
- California's GDP per capita is 2.5 times (153%) higher than Puerto Rico's.
Official Websites
California official website · Puerto Rico official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Puerto Rico 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.