California Demographics
California is the most populous of 52 states in the United States, with 39,537,885 residents across 155,859 square miles. That is about 254 people per square mile. 94% of residents live in urban areas.
At the 2020 census
| Population | 39,537,885 |
|---|---|
| Land area | 155,859 sq mi |
| Density | 254 / sq mi |
| Urban share | 94% |
Data: 2020 Census · American Community Survey 2024
How California compares to the US
We're computing this state's comparison table — check back shortly. Population, land area, and density above are already exact.
Central Location: California
Measured from the state's main population center using 2020 census blocks.
We're computing the drive-time and radius areas around California — check back shortly. Meanwhile you can drop a pin anywhere in the radius tool.
Counties in California
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 10,010,304 | 4,060.2 | 2,465 |
| San Diego County | 3,298,016 | 4,210.3 | 783 |
| Orange County | 3,186,444 | 792.9 | 4,019 |
| Riverside County | 2,418,185 | 7,209.2 | 335 |
| San Bernardino County | 2,181,654 | 20,068.2 | 109 |
| Santa Clara County | 1,936,180 | 1,291.1 | 1,500 |
| Alameda County | 1,682,299 | 737.5 | 2,281 |
| Sacramento County | 1,585,055 | 965.3 | 1,642 |
| Contra Costa County | 1,165,940 | 716.9 | 1,626 |
| Fresno County | 1,008,654 | 5,958.4 | 169 |
| Kern County | 909,235 | 8,134.7 | 112 |
| San Francisco County | 873,965 | 46.7 | 18,700 |
| Ventura County | 843,833 | 1,840.8 | 458 |
| San Joaquin County | 779,233 | 1,392.2 | 560 |
| San Mateo County | 764,461 | 448.6 | 1,704 |
| Stanislaus County | 552,878 | 1,496.2 | 370 |
| Sonoma County | 488,853 | 1,575.3 | 310 |
| Tulare County | 473,117 | 4,823.9 | 98 |
| Solano County | 453,491 | 821.7 | 552 |
| Santa Barbara County | 448,229 | 2,733.9 | 164 |
| Monterey County | 439,021 | 3,281.7 | 134 |
| Placer County | 404,739 | 1,407.1 | 288 |
| San Luis Obispo County | 282,424 | 3,300.8 | 86 |
| Merced County | 281,202 | 1,938.0 | 145 |
| Santa Cruz County | 270,853 | 445.1 | 609 |
| Marin County | 262,254 | 520.4 | 504 |
| Yolo County | 216,403 | 1,013.0 | 214 |
| Butte County | 211,632 | 1,636.5 | 129 |
| El Dorado County | 191,185 | 1,707.8 | 112 |
| Shasta County | 182,155 | 3,775.7 | 48 |
| Imperial County | 179,702 | 4,175.5 | 43 |
| Madera County | 156,255 | 2,136.9 | 73 |
| Kings County | 152,486 | 1,391.0 | 110 |
| Napa County | 138,019 | 752.0 | 184 |
| Humboldt County | 136,463 | 3,568.0 | 38 |
| Nevada County | 102,241 | 957.8 | 107 |
| Sutter County | 99,633 | 602.7 | 165 |
| Mendocino County | 91,601 | 3,506.8 | 26 |
| Yuba County | 81,575 | 632.0 | 129 |
| Lake County | 68,163 | 1,255.1 | 54 |
| Tehama County | 65,829 | 2,949.1 | 22 |
| San Benito County | 64,209 | 1,388.7 | 46 |
| Tuolumne County | 55,622 | 2,220.9 | 25 |
| Calaveras County | 45,292 | 1,020.0 | 44 |
| Siskiyou County | 44,076 | 6,278.8 | 7 |
| Amador County | 40,474 | 594.6 | 68 |
| Lassen County | 32,730 | 4,541.4 | 7 |
| Glenn County | 28,917 | 1,314.0 | 22 |
| Del Norte County | 27,743 | 1,006.2 | 28 |
| Colusa County | 21,839 | 1,150.7 | 19 |
| Plumas County | 19,790 | 2,553.1 | 8 |
| Inyo County | 19,016 | 10,197.3 | 2 |
| Mariposa County | 17,129 | 1,448.8 | 12 |
| Trinity County | 16,112 | 3,179.3 | 5 |
| Mono County | 13,195 | 3,048.9 | 4 |
| Modoc County | 8,700 | 3,948.2 | 2 |
| Sierra County | 3,236 | 953.2 | 3 |
| Alpine County | 1,204 | 738.3 | 2 |
Largest cities in California
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 3,898,493 | 470.5 | 8,286 |
| San Diego, CA | 1,386,928 | 325.9 | 4,256 |
| San Jose, CA | 1,013,008 | 177.9 | 5,694 |
| San Francisco, CA | 873,893 | 46.7 | 18,698 |
| Fresno, CA | 542,693 | 115.8 | 4,686 |
| Sacramento, CA | 524,963 | 98.6 | 5,322 |
| Long Beach, CA | 463,921 | 50.7 | 9,155 |
| Oakland, CA | 440,771 | 56.0 | 7,876 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 404,645 | 150.3 | 2,693 |
| Anaheim, CA | 346,840 | 50.3 | 6,898 |
| Stockton, CA | 320,736 | 62.4 | 5,141 |
| Riverside, CA | 315,057 | 81.1 | 3,882 |
Showing the 12 most populous of 1,611 — the rest are shown on the map.
Related places
About this page
This page shows demographics for a US state from the 2020 census and the American Community Survey: population, land area, density, and how the state compares to national averages for income, housing, age, and more.
Use the links below to drill into the state's counties and largest cities, or open any point of the state in the radius tool to measure the population within a distance or drive time.