# How big is California?

California covers 163,695 square miles (423,967 km²), 155,779 of them land. It is the third-biggest state, a little smaller than Sweden.

- 163,695 square miles
- 423,967 km²
- 105 million acres
- 79.2 million football fields

Interactive map, to drop it on any town at its true size: https://how-big-is.com/california/

## California against Sweden

Sweden covers about 174,000 square miles, so California is a little smaller. Drag California over Sweden on the map above to compare.

## 760 miles long

It is about 760 miles long and 250 miles wide, long enough for climates from temperate rainforest in the north to desert in the interior.

## How it compares

- 106× the size of [Rhode Island](https://how-big-is.com/rhode-island/), the smallest state
- ≈ 1× about the same size as [Montana](https://how-big-is.com/montana/)
- 61% of the area of [Texas](https://how-big-is.com/texas/)
- 25% of the area of [Alaska](https://how-big-is.com/alaska/), the largest state
- 606× the size of [the Little Giant Fire](https://how-big-is.com/little-giant-fire/)
- 105 million [acres](https://how-big-is.com/an-acre/)
- 79.2 million [American football fields](https://how-big-is.com/a-football-field/)
- 59.4 million [soccer pitches](https://how-big-is.com/a-soccer-field/)
- 124,276× the size of [Central Park](https://how-big-is.com/central-park/)
- 862,386× the size of [Vatican City](https://how-big-is.com/vatican-city/)
- 47.2× the size of [Yellowstone National Park](https://how-big-is.com/yellowstone-national-park/)
- 857× the size of [Lake Tahoe](https://how-big-is.com/lake-tahoe/)
- 20% of the area of [Greenland](https://how-big-is.com/greenland/)
- 595× the size of [Anglesey](https://how-big-is.com/anglesey/)
- 741× the size of [the Isle of Man](https://how-big-is.com/isle-of-man/)

## Questions people ask

**How many square miles is California?**
163,695 square miles (423,967 km²), 155,779 of them land.

**Is California bigger than Nevada?**
Yes. It is about 1.5 times the size of Nevada.

**Where does California rank by size?**
3rd of the 50 states, by total area and by land area alike.

**How long is California?**
About 760 miles (1,223 km) long and 250 miles (402 km) wide.

**How big is California compared to Texas?**
About 61% of the size of Texas.

## Where the numbers come from

Official figure: 163,695 square miles in all, 155,779 of them land, per the US Census Bureau. Outline: US Census Bureau (https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/cartographic-boundary.html), licence: Public domain.

Credit: Map: how-big-is.com. Outline: US Census Bureau.