Arizona vs California

The two states, county by county

Both maps share one density scale, so the same shade means the same number of people per square mile on either side of the border. Darker counties are denser. Select a county to open its page.

Side by side

Population and density

California has 39,431,263 residents, 5.2 times Arizona's 7,582,384. Arizona ranks 14th and California 1st of the 50 states and DC. California is the more crowded, with 253.0 people per square mile against 66.7, 3.8 times.

Land area

California has 155,859 square miles of land, 37% more than Arizona's 113,655. The largest county-equivalent in Arizona is Coconino County at 18,616 square miles; in California it is San Bernardino County at 20,068.

Counties

California is divided into 58 county-equivalents and Arizona into 15, so an average California county covers 2,687 square miles against 7,577. The typical county in Arizona has 125,773 residents, against 187,274 in California. The most populous are Maricopa County (4,673,096) and Los Angeles County (9,757,179).

1 county name appears on both sides of the border: Santa Cruz. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in California has a household income of $81,175, 33% above Arizona's $61,225. The highest county incomes are Maricopa County ($86,973) in Arizona and Santa Clara County ($154,573) in California, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Phoenix and Sacramento are 634 miles apart in a straight line; from Phoenix the initial bearing is 307°, NW. On June 21, 2026, Phoenix gets 14 h 22 min of daylight and Sacramento 14 h 52 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 56 min and 9 h 28 min. Month by month tables are on the Phoenix and Sacramento daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the West region, but Arizona is in the Mountain division and California in the Pacific division. By county internal points, Arizona spans 2 UTM zones and California 2.