The map above shows California and South Dakota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs South Dakota Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while South Dakota has 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²).
- California's land area is 2.1 times (106%) larger than South Dakota's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 2.1 times (112%) larger than South Dakota's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.7 times (72%) longer than South Dakota's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.9 times (90%) wider than South Dakota's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); South Dakota's is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m).
- Mount Whitney is 7,286 feet higher than Black Elk Peak.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; South Dakota's is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet.
- California's lowest point is 1,245 feet lower.
California vs South Dakota Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while South Dakota has 924,669 (2024).
- California's population is 42.6 times larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs South Dakota: 12.2.
- California's population density is 20.7 times higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; South Dakota's is Sioux Falls with 209,289.
- Los Angeles' population is 18.5 times larger than Sioux Falls'.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs South Dakota's Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 41.9 times larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 39 years.
California vs South Dakota Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs South Dakota's $76.8 billion.
- California's economic output is 52.7 times larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs South Dakota: $83,052.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (24%) higher than South Dakota's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs South Dakota: $75,699 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.1 times (14%) higher than South Dakota's.
California vs South Dakota Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while South Dakota has 66.
- South Dakota's county count is 1.1 times (14%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; South Dakota's is Meade County at 3,471 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 5.8 times (478%) larger than Meade County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi).
- Clay County's land area is 8.8 times (782%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 46.8 times larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs South Dakota: Jones County (874 people).
- Alpine County's population is 1.3 times (26%) larger than Jones County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Union County ($146,712).
- Marin County's income is 1.3 times (30%) richer than Union County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778).
- Trinity County's income is 1.3 times (29%) richer than Ziebach County's.
California vs South Dakota Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while South Dakota has no state income tax.
- California's top rate is 13.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs South Dakota: 1.02% of home value per year.
- South Dakota's rate is 0.31 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs South Dakota: 6.11%.
- California's combined rate is 2.92 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · South Dakota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All South 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.