The map above shows California and Wyoming side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Wyoming Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Wyoming has 97,089 square miles (251,458 km²).
- California's land area is 1.6 times (61%) larger than Wyoming's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Wyoming: 97,810 square miles (253,326 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 1.7 times (67%) larger than Wyoming's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Wyoming is 324 miles (522 km).
- California's north-south length is 2.3 times (135%) longer than Wyoming's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Wyoming spans 410 miles (659 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.7 times (72%) wider than Wyoming's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Wyoming's is Gannett Peak at 13,788 feet (4,203 m).
- Mount Whitney is 696 feet higher than Gannett Peak.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Wyoming's is Belle Fourche River at 3,108 feet.
- California's lowest point is 3,387 feet lower.
California vs Wyoming Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Wyoming has 587,618 (2024).
- California's population is 67.1 times larger than Wyoming's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Wyoming: 6.1.
- California's population density is 41.5 times higher than Wyoming's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Wyoming's is Cheyenne with 65,704.
- Los Angeles' population is 59.0 times larger than Cheyenne's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Wyoming's Cheyenne, WY metro area (101,783).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 127.0 times larger than Cheyenne, WY metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Wyoming: Admitted to the Union on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 40 years.
California vs Wyoming Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Wyoming's $51.5 billion.
- California's economic output is 78.6 times larger than Wyoming's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Wyoming: $87,639.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (17%) higher than Wyoming's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Wyoming: $86,477 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California and Wyoming have about the same average income.
California vs Wyoming Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Wyoming has 23.
- California's county count is 2.5 times (152%) higher than Wyoming's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Wyoming's is Sweetwater County at 10,427 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 1.9 times (92%) larger than Sweetwater County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Wyoming: Hot Springs County (2,004 sq mi).
- Hot Springs County's land area is 42.9 times larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Wyoming: Laramie County (101,783 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 95.9 times larger than Laramie County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Wyoming: Niobrara County (2,301 people).
- Niobrara County's population is 2.1 times (109%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Wyoming: Teton County ($532,903).
- Teton County's income is 2.8 times (179%) richer than Marin County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Wyoming: Uinta County ($50,370).
- Uinta County's income is 1.2 times (19%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Wyoming Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Wyoming has no state income tax.
- California's top rate is 13.3 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Wyoming: 0.57% of home value per year.
- California's rate is 0.14 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Wyoming: 5.39%.
- California's combined rate is 3.64 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Wyoming official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Wyoming 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.