Which has more people, California or Colorado?

California has a population of 39,345,844 (1st of 51 US states) and Colorado has 6,036,620 (20th of 51).

How do California and Colorado compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: California $99,122 (6th of 51), Colorado $95,470 (10th of 51) among US states. California ranks better.

How do California and Colorado compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?

Unemployment Rate (%): California 5.5% (50th of 51), Colorado 4% (tied 25th of 51) among US states. Colorado ranks better.

Where does California beat Colorado most clearly?

California ranks far ahead on Average Documentation Fee (Car Registration Fees by State): $85.00 vs $699; # Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022 (Prison Population by State): -3.8 vs 8.2; % Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022 (Prison Population by State): -3,833.0% vs 1,303.0%.

Where does Colorado beat California most clearly?

Colorado ranks far ahead on Sales Tax (Taxes by State): 2.9% vs 7.25%; State Sales Tax Rate (Internet Sales Tax by State): 2.9% vs 7.25%; State Sales Tax (Car Registration Fees by State): 2.9% vs 7.25%.

California vs Colorado

California comes out ahead of Colorado on 403 of 804 statistics where one end is better, to 388 with 13 ties. California leads on Health, Crime & Safety and Tech & Business and 2 more categories. Colorado leads on Agriculture, Infrastructure & Energy and Facts & Trivia and 7 more categories.

804 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 13 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

California

Wins: 403
Avg. percentile: 54
Categories led: 5

Colorado

Wins: 388
Avg. percentile: 55
Categories led: 10

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	California	Colorado
Population	39,345,844 1st of 51	6,036,620 20th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$99,122 6th of 51	$95,470 10th of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	5.5% 50th of 51	4% tied 25th of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	12.0% 29th of 51	9.44% 4th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	110.7 51st of 51	103.1 39th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$63,028 13th of 51	$65,223 8th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$80,690 5th of 51	$77,190 9th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$2,036 51st of 51	$1,761 47th of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	432.7 44th of 51	421.7 43rd of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	2,814 9th of 48	7,053 39th of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

AgricultureColorado · 17 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergyColorado · 36 statistics
Facts & TriviaColorado · 18 statistics
GeographyColorado · 25 statistics
TravelColorado · 29 statistics
HealthCalifornia · 189 statistics
Crime & SafetyCalifornia · 76 statistics
EnvironmentColorado · 39 statistics
Tech & BusinessCalifornia · 48 statistics
EducationCalifornia · 50 statistics
Politics & GovernmentColorado · 126 statistics
PopulationColorado · 124 statistics
LawCalifornia · 72 statistics
EconomicsColorado · 296 statistics
SportsColorado · 16 statistics
CultureEven · 70 statistics

Biggest differences

The 30 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 26 US states.

Statistic	California	Colorado
Sales TaxTaxes by State	7.25% 46th of 46	2.9% 1st of 46
State Sales Tax RateInternet Sales Tax by State	7.25% 46th of 46	2.9% 1st of 46
State Sales TaxCar Registration Fees by State	7.25% 45th of 45	2.9% 1st of 45
Clothing Sales Tax RateSales Tax on Clothing by State	7.25% 39th of 39	2.9% 1st of 39
Car Sales Tax RateCar Sales Tax by State	7.25% 44th of 45	2.9% 2nd of 45
Accident RateWorst Drivers by State	28.1 per 1k drivers 49th of 51	11.7 per 1k drivers 2nd of 51
Average Documentation FeeCar Registration Fees by State	$85.00 1st of 50	$699 tied 46th of 50
Most Hated RankMost Hated States in the US	5th 5th worst of 50	50th best of 50
# Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022Prison Population by State	-3.8 3rd of 50	8.2 48th of 50
% of Mammal Species at RiskMost Biodiverse States	16.4% 48th of 50	1.5% tied 3rd of 50
Average Wind SpeedWindiest States in the U.S.	13.54 mph 50th of 51	20.16 mph 6th of 51
DUI RateWorst Drivers by State	3.5 per 1k drivers 50th of 51	0.7 per 1k drivers tied 5th of 51
% Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022Prison Population by State	-3,833.0% 1st of 50	1,303.0% 44th of 50
Community Environment RankSaddest States	5th 5th of 50	47th 47th of 50
Annual Cost IncreaseGrocery Prices by State	3.4% 2nd of 50	8.1% 44th of 50
CAS Legal Judicial Corruption Level (1-5)Most Corrupt States	1 tied 1st of 48	3.5 46th of 48
Median Doc FeeCar Dealer Fees by State	$85.00 2nd of 51	$599 44th of 51
Costs RankFarming-Friendly States	50th 50th of 50	9th 9th of 50
Employment Per 1000 JobsVeterinarian Salary by State	0.44 44th of 50	0.84 3rd of 50
Capital Gains RateCapital Gains Tax by State	13.3% 43rd of 43	4.4% 8th of 43
Income Tax Maximum RateTaxes by State	12.3% 43rd of 43	4.4% 8th of 43
Max RateTax Rates by State	13.3% 44th of 44	4.4% 9th of 44
SSI Ethics Enforcement Agencies ScoreMost Corrupt States	73 tied 4th of 50	41.9 44th of 50
Corporate Tax RankBest State To Incorporate In	46th 47th of 51	7th 7th of 51
Driving IncidentsWorst Drivers by State	41.9 per 1k drivers 43rd of 51	23.7 per 1k drivers 3rd of 51
Farmland Price Per AcreAcre Value by State	$13,100 42nd of 46	$2,150 6th of 46
Mean Annual Snowfall 1971-2000Best Weather by State	3.76 in 42nd of 49	67.3 in 4th of 49
Local Street Accidents 2018-2022Jaywalking Laws By State	3.5% 1st of 44	39.9% 35th of 44
Utilities Costs IndexCost of Living Index by State	142.0 48th of 51	88.7 tied 8th of 51
Internet Access (1-10)Best States for Camping	2.52 tied 38th of 49	10 1st of 49

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, California or Colorado?: California comes out ahead of Colorado on 403 of 804 statistics where one end is better, to 388 with 13 ties. California leads on Health, Crime & Safety and Tech & Business and 2 more categories. Colorado leads on Agriculture, Infrastructure & Energy and Facts & Trivia and 7 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, California or Colorado?: California has a population of 39,345,844 (1st of 51 US states) and Colorado has 6,036,620 (20th of 51).
How do California and Colorado compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: California $99,122 (6th of 51), Colorado $95,470 (10th of 51) among US states. California ranks better.
How do California and Colorado compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): California 5.5% (50th of 51), Colorado 4% (tied 25th of 51) among US states. Colorado ranks better.
Where does California beat Colorado most clearly?: California ranks far ahead on Average Documentation Fee (Car Registration Fees by State): $85.00 vs $699; # Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022 (Prison Population by State): -3.8 vs 8.2; % Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022 (Prison Population by State): -3,833.0% vs 1,303.0%.
Where does Colorado beat California most clearly?: Colorado ranks far ahead on Sales Tax (Taxes by State): 2.9% vs 7.25%; State Sales Tax Rate (Internet Sales Tax by State): 2.9% vs 7.25%; State Sales Tax (Car Registration Fees by State): 2.9% vs 7.25%.

More matchups

Other comparisons with California or Colorado.

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