Two places · one area scale
How big is California compared to the United States?
How big is California compared to the United States? Compare cited land area and population, see real outlines at a shared area scale, and inspect calculated population density.
United States has 22.7× the land area of California. United States has 8.68× the listed population of California. Density is calculated from the cited figures.
The figures behind the map
Land area, population and calculated density
At a glance
Compare the figures
Each bar starts at zero. The longest bar is the highest value shown for that measure, not a rating.
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- California403,677 km²
- United States9,147,420 km²
- California39,355,309
- United States341,784,857
- California97 people/km²
- United States37 people/km²
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| Measure | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Land area | 155,860 sq miU.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files · 2026 | 9,147,420 sq kmWorld Bank — Land area · 2023 |
| Population | 39,355,309 peopleU.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program · 2025 | 341,784,857 peopleWorld Bank — Population, total · 2025 |
| Calculated density | 97 people/km²Calculated from the values above | 37 people/km²Calculated from the values above |
Density is calculated as population ÷ land area converted to km². Source years are shown separately; the calculation may combine different years.
Calculated from the cited values
Land area, population and density differences
The land-area gap is about 5.91 × Alaska's land area (8,743,743 km², calculated).
United States has 8.68× the listed population of California.
California has 2.61× the calculated population density of United States.
Land area is shown in km² in the charts so the bars use the same unit.
How to read California and United States