California vs Nevada

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, 12.1 times Nevada's 3,267,467. California ranks 1st and Nevada 31st of the 50 states and DC. California is the more crowded, with 253.0 people per square mile against 29.7, 8.5 times.

Land area

California has 155,859 square miles of land, 42% more than Nevada's 109,860. The largest county-equivalent in California is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; in Nevada it is Nye County at 18,182.

Counties

California is divided into 58 county-equivalents and Nevada into 17, so an average California county covers 2,687 square miles against 6,462. The typical county in California has 187,274 residents, against 17,116 in Nevada. The most populous are Los Angeles County (9,757,179) and Clark County (2,398,871).

1 county name appears on both sides of the border: Humboldt. 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, 8% above Nevada's $75,103. The highest county incomes are Santa Clara County ($154,573) in California and Storey County ($88,684) in Nevada, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Sacramento and Carson City are 101 miles apart in a straight line; from Sacramento the initial bearing is 66°, ENE. On June 21, 2026, Sacramento gets 14 h 52 min of daylight and Carson City 14 h 56 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 28 min and 9 h 25 min. Month by month tables are on the Sacramento and Carson City daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the West region, but California is in the Pacific division and Nevada in the Mountain division. By county internal points, California spans 2 UTM zones and Nevada 1.