The map above shows United States and California side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
United States vs California Geography
Land area
- United States has a land area of 3,533,467 square miles (9,151,637 km²), while California has 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²).
- United States' land area is 22.7 times larger than California's.
Total area
- United States: 3,802,784 square miles (9,849,165 km²) vs California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- United States' total area is 23.2 times larger than California's.
Length
- United States is 3,628 miles (5,839 km) long from north to south; California is 761 miles (1,224 km).
- United States' north-south length is 4.8 times (377%) longer than California's.
Width
- United States spans 4,824 miles (7,763 km) east to west; California spans 706 miles (1,137 km).
- United States' east-west width is 6.8 times (583%) wider than California's.
Highest point
- United States's highest point is Denali at 20,308 feet (6,190 m); California's is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m).
- Denali is 5,824 feet higher than Mount Whitney.
Lowest point
- United States's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; California's is Death Valley at -279 feet.
- Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
United States vs California Population and History
Population
- United States has a population of 340,110,988 (2024), while California has 39,431,263 (2024).
- United States' population is 8.6 times (763%) larger than California's.
Population density
- United States: 96.3 people per square mile vs California: 253.0.
- California's population density is 2.6 times (163%) higher than United States'.
Biggest city
- United States's biggest city is New York with 8,478,072 people; California's is Los Angeles with 3,878,704.
- New York's population is 2.2 times (119%) larger than Los Angeles'.
Largest metro area
- United States's largest metropolitan area is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (19,940,274 people) vs California's Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614).
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's.
History
- United States: Declared independence on July 4, 1776.
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- In its current form, United States is the older of the two by 74 years.
United States vs California Economy
GDP
- United States's GDP is $30,769.7 billion (2025) vs California's $4,048.1 billion.
- United States' economic output is 7.6 times (660%) larger than California's.
GDP per capita
- United States: $89,599 per person vs California: $102,662.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (15%) higher than United States'.
Official Websites
United States official website · California official website
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More Size Comparisons
All United States size comparisons · All California 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.