The map above shows California and South Carolina side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs South Carolina Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while South Carolina has 30,064 square miles (77,866 km²).
- California's land area is 5.2 times (418%) larger than South Carolina's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs South Carolina: 32,024 square miles (82,940 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 5.1 times (411%) larger than South Carolina's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; South Carolina is 236 miles (380 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.2 times (222%) longer than South Carolina's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; South Carolina spans 279 miles (449 km).
- California's east-west width is 2.5 times (153%) wider than South Carolina's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); South Carolina's is Sassafras Mountain at 3,497 feet (1,066 m).
- Mount Whitney is 10,987 feet higher than Sassafras Mountain.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; South Carolina's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs South Carolina Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while South Carolina has 5,478,831 (2024).
- California's population is 7.2 times (620%) larger than South Carolina's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs South Carolina: 182.2.
- California's population density is 1.4 times (39%) higher than South Carolina's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; South Carolina's is Charleston with 157,665.
- Los Angeles' population is 24.6 times larger than Charleston's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs South 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.
- South Carolina: Admitted to the Union on May 23, 1788, as the 8th state.
- In its current form, South Carolina is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs South Carolina Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs South Carolina's $357.1 billion.
- California's economic output is 11.3 times larger than South Carolina's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs South Carolina: $65,173.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.6 times (58%) higher than South Carolina's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs South Carolina: $60,776 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.4 times (42%) higher than South Carolina's.
California vs South Carolina Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while South Carolina has 46.
- California's county count is 1.3 times (26%) higher than South Carolina's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; South Carolina's is Horry County at 1,133 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 17.7 times larger than Horry County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs South Carolina: McCormick County (359 sq mi).
- McCormick County's land area is 7.7 times (669%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs South Carolina: Greenville County (570,745 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 17.1 times larger than Greenville County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs South Carolina: Allendale County (7,551 people).
- Allendale County's population is 6.9 times (587%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs South Carolina: Charleston County ($90,550).
- Marin County's income is 2.1 times (111%) richer than Charleston County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs South Carolina: Marlboro County ($41,332).
- Trinity County and Marlboro County have about the same income.
California vs South Carolina Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while South Carolina has a top income tax rate of 6%.
- California's top rate is 7.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs South Carolina: 0.45% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.26 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs South Carolina: 7.49%.
- California's combined rate is 1.54 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · South Carolina official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All South 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.