Two places · one area scale
How big is California compared to New York?
How big is California compared to New York? Compare cited land area and population, see real outlines at a shared area scale, and inspect calculated population density.
California has 3.31× the land area of New York. California has 1.97× the listed population of New York. 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
- New York122,049 km²
- California39,355,309
- New York20,002,427
- California97 people/km²
- New York164 people/km²
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| Measure | California | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Land area | 155,860 sq miU.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files · 2026 | 47,123 sq miU.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files · 2026 |
| Population | 39,355,309 peopleU.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program · 2025 | 20,002,427 peopleU.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program · 2025 |
| Calculated density | 97 people/km²Calculated from the values above | 164 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 0.99 × Nevada's land area (281,627 km², calculated).
California has 1.97× the listed population of New York.
New York has 1.68× the calculated population density of California.
Land area is shown in km² in the charts so the bars use the same unit.
How to read California and New York