Place profile
Also known as: CA, State of California
California covers 403,676.6 km² (155,860 sq mi) of land and had a population of 39.4 million in 2025, about 97.5 people per km² (253 per sq mi). In more familiar terms, it is about 60% of Texas.
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Calculated from the population and area above; their reference dates may differ.
The closest rung on the US reference ladder (Census Bureau land area); see the sources below.
The inverse of population density, from the same area and population figures.
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The State of California: 403,676.56 km² of land and 39,355,309 residents. Area is the Census Bureau’s land area (ALAND) for the state in the 2025 Gazetteer, which excludes inland and coastal water — another 20,289 km², so the land-plus-water total is 423,965 km². Population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 resident estimate for 1 July 2025, not a census count. The outline is Natural Earth’s admin-1 polygon for California, including the Channel Islands, and measures about 1.5% larger than the official land area because its coastline encloses bays such as San Francisco Bay. California uses Pacific Time (UTC−8, UTC−7 in summer).
Average administrative density does not describe population distribution in every neighborhood. Compare population definitions and reference dates alongside the numbers.
Place guide
California has 403,676.56 km² of land and an estimated 39,355,309 residents on 1 July 2025, about 97 people per km². It is the most populous US state and the third largest by area, and Japan is almost exactly its size.
Against California’s land, Taiwan is about 9%, South Korea about 25% and Japan about 94%. California holds about 11.2 Taiwans or 4 South Koreas, and is only about 7% larger than Japan. Each pair has its own page with the outlines drawn to one scale.
The area is the Census Bureau’s land area for the state in its 2025 Gazetteer. It excludes 20,289 km² of water, San Francisco Bay among it; with water, California covers 423,965 km². The population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate, not a census count.
Most Californians live along the coast and in the Central Valley, in and around Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego, while the Sierra Nevada and the deserts of the southeast are thinly settled. The outline is Natural Earth’s, including the Channel Islands, about 1.5% larger than the official land area because its coastline encloses the bays.
Questions people ask
California covers 403,676.6 km², or 155,860 sq mi (reference date 2025-01-01). In US terms: ≈ 60% of Texas.
39.4 million — 39,355,309 as of 2025-07-01. The scope of that count is set out under “Scope and definitions” on this page.
About 97.5 people per km² (253 per sq mi), derived from the area and population above, whose reference dates may differ. An administrative average does not describe how crowded any particular neighbourhood is.
The State of California: 403,676.56 km² of land and 39,355,309 residents. Area is the Census Bureau’s land area (ALAND) for the state in the 2025 Gazetteer, which excludes inland and coastal water — another 20,289 km², so the land-plus-water total is 423,965 km². Population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 resident estimate for 1 July 2025, not a census count. The outline is Natural Earth’s admin-1 polygon for California, including the Channel Islands, and measures about 1.5% larger than the official land area because its coastline encloses bays such as San Francisco Bay. California uses Pacific Time (UTC−8, UTC−7 in summer).
Also written or known as CA, State of California. Every one of those names refers to the place measured on this page.
Outline source: Natural Earth · Public domain
Read the methodology and data notes