California
Distance from Modesto to San Jose
Straight-line distance
50.4mi
Modesto, CA and San Jose, CA are 50.4 miles (81.1 km) apart in a straight line. From Modesto, the shortest path starts out heading WSW (242°).
- kilometers
- 81.1
- nautical miles
- 43.8
- heading from Modesto
- 242° WSW
- heading from San Jose
- 62° ENE
Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders
How far Modesto is from San Jose
The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Modesto and San Jose is 50.4 miles, 81.1 km or 43.8 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 50.4 miles, practically the same at this range.
Measurements
- Miles
- 50.4
- Kilometers
- 81.1
- Nautical miles
- 43.8
- Bearing from Modesto
- 242.3° WSW
- Bearing arriving at San Jose
- 241.8°
- Bearing from San Jose
- 61.8° ENE
Halfway between Modesto and San Jose
The great-circle midpoint is at 37.467444, -121.409727 (37°28'2.80"N 121°24'35.02"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Patterson, CA, with 25,495 residents, 14.0 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.
Time zones and daylight
Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Modesto gets 14 h 46 min of daylight and San Jose 14 h 44 min; on December 21, 9 h 34 min and 9 h 36 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.
Population compared
San Jose has 4.5 times the population of Modesto. From July 2020 to July 2024, Modesto changed by +0.9% and San Jose by -1.2%. Both are in California.
- 01Modesto, CA220,592 (+0.9%)
- 02San Jose, CA997,368 (-1.2%)
Questions people ask
How far is Modesto from San Jose?
50.4 miles, 81.1 km or 43.8 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.
Which direction is San Jose from Modesto?
WSW. The great-circle path leaves Modesto on a bearing of 242.3° and arrives at San Jose on 241.8°. The return trip starts on 61.8°.
What is halfway between Modesto and San Jose?
The midpoint is at 37.467444, -121.409727. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Patterson, CA, 14.0 miles from it.
Is there a time difference between Modesto and San Jose?
Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference.
Which is bigger, Modesto or San Jose?
San Jose, with 997,368 residents in July 2024 against 220,592 for Modesto, 4.5 times as many.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.
- 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
- 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
- 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
- 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.