The map above shows California and Washington side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Washington Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Washington has 66,455 square miles (172,119 km²).
- California's land area is 2.3 times (135%) larger than Washington's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Washington: 71,301 square miles (184,668 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 2.3 times (130%) larger than Washington's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Washington is 238 miles (383 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.2 times (220%) longer than Washington's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Washington spans 399 miles (641 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.8 times (77%) wider than Washington's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Washington's is Mount Rainier at 14,409 feet (4,392 m).
- Mount Whitney is 75 feet higher than Mount Rainier.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Washington's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- California's lowest point is 279 feet lower.
California vs Washington Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Washington has 7,958,180 (2024).
- California's population is 5.0 times (395%) larger than Washington's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Washington: 119.8.
- California's population density is 2.1 times (111%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Washington's is Seattle with 780,995.
- Los Angeles' population is 5.0 times (397%) larger than Seattle's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Washington's Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (4,145,494).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 3.1 times (212%) larger than Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Washington: Admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, as the 42nd state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 39 years.
California vs Washington Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Washington's $856.0 billion.
- California's economic output is 4.7 times (373%) larger than Washington's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Washington: $107,564.
- Washington's GDP per capita is 1.0 times (5%) higher than California's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Washington: $85,187 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California and Washington have about the same average income.
California vs Washington Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Washington has 39.
- California's county count is 1.5 times (49%) higher than Washington's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Washington's is Okanogan County at 5,266 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 3.8 times (281%) larger than Okanogan County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Washington: San Juan County (174 sq mi).
- San Juan County's land area is 3.7 times (272%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Washington: King County (2,340,211 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 4.2 times (317%) larger than King County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Washington: Garfield County (2,404 people).
- Garfield County's population is 2.2 times (119%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Washington: King County ($128,684).
- Marin County's income is 1.5 times (48%) richer than King County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Washington: Ferry County ($50,456).
- Ferry County's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Washington Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Washington has a 9% tax on capital gains only.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Washington: 0.79% of home value per year.
- Washington's rate is 0.08 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Washington: 9.57%.
- Washington's combined rate is 0.54 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Washington official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Washington 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.