The map above shows California and Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Virginia Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Virginia has 39,481 square miles (102,256 km²).
- California's land area is 3.9 times (295%) larger than Virginia's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Virginia: 42,775 square miles (110,786 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 3.8 times (283%) larger than Virginia's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Virginia is 223 miles (359 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.4 times (241%) longer than Virginia's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Virginia spans 466 miles (750 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.5 times (52%) wider than Virginia's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Virginia's is Mount Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746 m).
- Mount Whitney is 8,755 feet higher than Mount Rogers.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Virginia's is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Virginia Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Virginia has 8,811,195 (2024).
- California's population is 4.5 times (348%) larger than Virginia's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Virginia: 223.2.
- California's population density is 1.1 times (13%) higher than Virginia's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Virginia's is Virginia Beach with 454,808.
- Los Angeles' population is 8.5 times (753%) larger than Virginia Beach's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Virginia's Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area (6,436,489).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 2.0 times (101%) larger than Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788, as the 10th state.
- In its current form, Virginia is the older of the two by 62 years.
California vs Virginia Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Virginia's $761.7 billion.
- California's economic output is 5.3 times (431%) larger than Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Virginia: $86,451.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (19%) higher than Virginia's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Virginia: $77,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.1 times (11%) higher than Virginia's.
California vs Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Virginia has 133.
- Virginia's county count is 2.3 times (129%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Virginia's is Pittsylvania County at 969 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 20.7 times larger than Pittsylvania County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Virginia: Falls Church city (2 sq mi).
- San Francisco County's land area is 23.4 times larger than Falls Church city's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Virginia: Fairfax County (1,160,925 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 8.4 times (740%) larger than Fairfax County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Virginia: Highland County (2,348 people).
- Highland County's population is 2.1 times (114%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Virginia: Arlington County ($131,624).
- Marin County's income is 1.5 times (45%) richer than Arlington County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Virginia: Sussex County ($41,032).
- Trinity County and Sussex County have about the same income.
California vs Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Virginia has a top income tax rate of 5.75%.
- California's top rate is 7.55 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Virginia: 0.71% of home value per year.
- The two are essentially equal.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Virginia: 5.77%.
- California's combined rate is 3.26 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Virginia 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.