The map above shows California and West Virginia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs West Virginia Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while West Virginia has 24,041 square miles (62,266 km²).
- California's land area is 6.5 times (548%) larger than West Virginia's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs West Virginia: 24,230 square miles (62,755 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 6.8 times (576%) larger than West Virginia's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; West Virginia is 245 miles (394 km).
- California's north-south length is 3.1 times (211%) longer than West Virginia's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; West Virginia spans 276 miles (444 km).
- California's east-west width is 2.6 times (156%) wider than West Virginia's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); West Virginia's is Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet (1,482 m).
- Mount Whitney is 9,621 feet higher than Spruce Knob.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; West Virginia's is Potomac River at 240 feet.
- California's lowest point is 519 feet lower.
California vs West Virginia Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while West Virginia has 1,769,979 (2024).
- California's population is 22.3 times larger than West Virginia's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs West Virginia: 73.6.
- California's population density is 3.4 times (244%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; West Virginia's is Charleston with 46,482.
- Los Angeles' population is 83.4 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 West 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.
- West Virginia: Admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, as the 35th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 13 years.
California vs West Virginia Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs West Virginia's $106.5 billion.
- California's economic output is 38.0 times larger than West Virginia's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs West Virginia: $60,156.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.7 times (71%) higher than West Virginia's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs West Virginia: $55,351 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.6 times (56%) higher than West Virginia's.
California vs West Virginia Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while West Virginia has 55.
- California's county count is 1.1 times (5%) higher than West Virginia's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; West Virginia's is Randolph County at 1,040 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 19.3 times larger than Randolph County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs West Virginia: Hancock County (83 sq mi).
- Hancock County's land area is 1.8 times (77%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs West Virginia: Kanawha County (173,906 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 56.1 times larger than Kanawha County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs West Virginia: Wirt County (4,924 people).
- Wirt County's population is 4.5 times (348%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Jefferson County ($70,542).
- Marin County's income is 2.7 times (171%) richer than Jefferson County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs West Virginia: Webster County ($35,039).
- Trinity County's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Webster County's.
California vs West Virginia Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while West Virginia has a top income tax rate of 4.82%.
- California's top rate is 8.48 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs West Virginia: 0.52% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.19 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs West Virginia: 6.6%.
- California's combined rate is 2.43 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · West Virginia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All West 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.