Which has more people, California or New York?

California has a population of 39,345,844 (1st of 51 US states) and New York has 20,003,435 (4th of 51).

How do California and New York compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: California $99,122 (6th of 51), New York $85,974 (16th of 51) among US states. California ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): California 5.5% (50th of 51), New York 4.3% (tied 33rd of 51) among US states. New York ranks better.

Where does California beat New York most clearly?

California ranks far ahead on Estimated Civil War Deaths (Civil War Casualties by State): 500 vs 39,000; Personnel Rank (Farming-Friendly States): 1st vs 49th; % Change in Prison Pop. 2022 to 2023 (Prison Population by State): -1,646.0% vs 1,435.0%.

Where does New York beat California most clearly?

New York ranks far ahead on % of Homeless Who Are Unsheltered (Homeless Population by State): 3.6% vs 66.3%; % Sheltered (Homeless Population by State): 96.4% vs 33.7%; Quality of Life (Pension-Friendly States): 100 vs 21.

California vs New York

New York comes out ahead of California on 426 of 803 statistics where one end is better, to 368 with 9 ties. California leads on Agriculture and Politics & Government. New York leads on Infrastructure & Energy, Sports and Environment and 7 more categories.

803 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 9 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

California

Wins: 368
Avg. percentile: 54
Categories led: 2

New York

Wins: 426
Avg. percentile: 56
Categories led: 10

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	California	New York
Population	39,345,844 1st of 51	20,003,435 4th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$99,122 6th of 51	$85,974 16th of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	5.5% 50th of 51	4.3% tied 33rd of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	12.0% 29th of 51	14.0% 41st of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	110.7 51st of 51	107.9 47th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$63,028 13th of 51	$64,153 11th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$80,690 5th of 51	$82,460 4th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$2,036 51st of 51	$1,621 42nd of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	432.7 44th of 51	368.4 35th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	2,814 9th of 48	6,000 31st of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

Infrastructure & EnergyNew York · 36 statistics
SportsNew York · 16 statistics
EnvironmentNew York · 40 statistics
PopulationNew York · 125 statistics
AgricultureCalifornia · 17 statistics
Politics & GovernmentCalifornia · 125 statistics
TravelNew York · 29 statistics
EducationNew York · 51 statistics
EconomicsNew York · 296 statistics
CultureNew York · 78 statistics
LawNew York · 68 statistics
GeographyNew York · 24 statistics
HealthEven · 189 statistics
Tech & BusinessEven · 46 statistics
Facts & TriviaEven · 18 statistics
Crime & SafetyEven · 76 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	California	New York
% of Homeless Who Are UnshelteredHomeless Population by State	66.3% 51st of 51	3.6% 1st of 51
% ShelteredHomeless Population by State	33.7% 51st of 51	96.4% 1st of 51
Estimated Civil War DeathsCivil War Casualties by State	500 tied 1st of 33	39,000 33rd of 33
Personnel RankFarming-Friendly States	1st 1st of 50	49th 49th of 50
Quality of LifePension-Friendly States	21 48th of 49	100 1st of 49
Sales TaxTaxes by State	7.25% 46th of 46	4% tied 2nd of 46
State Sales Tax RateInternet Sales Tax by State	7.25% 46th of 46	4% tied 2nd of 46
% of Amphibian Species at RiskMost Biodiverse States	49.1% 31st of 31	3.1% 3rd of 31
State Sales TaxCar Registration Fees by State	7.25% 45th of 45	4% tied 2nd of 45
% Change in Prison Pop. 2022 to 2023Prison Population by State	-1,646.0% 1st of 50	1,435.0% 46th of 50
Industrial DiversityMost Diverse US States	4th 4th of 50	48th 48th of 50
SSI State Budget Process ScoreMost Corrupt States	90.6 6th of 50	52.2 50th of 50
Car Sales Tax RateCar Sales Tax by State	7.25% 44th of 45	4% tied 4th of 45
Academic & Work Environment RankBest States for Teachers	45th 45th of 51	2nd 2nd of 51
Theft RateStolen Cars by State	511 per 100k 49th of 51	116 per 100k 6th of 51
Road Safety Rank WalletHubSafest States in the US	47th 47th of 50	5th 5th of 50
Affordability RankBest States for Fishing	50th 50th of 51	8th 8th of 51
Diesel Gas Tax (￠/gallon)Gas Taxes by State	87.32 ￠/gallon 51st of 51	22.38 ￠/gallon 9th of 51
Diesel Gas Tax ($/gallon)Gas Taxes by State	$0.873/gallon 51st of 51	$0.224/gallon 9th of 51
Average New Car Price With Tax And FeesCar Registration Fees by State	$53,936 47th of 50	$52,040 6th of 50
State Rank Fed GovtPublic Land by State	7th 7th of 50	48th 48th of 50
Bad Driving IndexWorst Drivers by State	90.58 47th of 49	35.51 7th of 49
% of Bird Species at RiskMost Biodiverse States	4.8% 49th of 51	1.2% 8th of 51
% Change in Prison Pop. 2021-2022Prison Population by State	-3,833.0% 1st of 50	810.0% 41st of 50
AnnualRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$82,911 41st of 50	$130,594 1st of 50
Community Environment RankSaddest States	5th 5th of 50	45th 45th of 50
HourlyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$39.86 41st of 50	$62.79 1st of 50
MonthlyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$6,909 41st of 50	$10,882 1st of 50
WeeklyRadiation Therapist Salary by State	$1,594 41st of 50	$2,511 1st of 50
Local Street Accidents 2018-2022Jaywalking Laws By State	3.5% 1st of 44	40.2% 36th of 44

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 New York?: New York comes out ahead of California on 426 of 803 statistics where one end is better, to 368 with 9 ties. California leads on Agriculture and Politics & Government. New York leads on Infrastructure & Energy, Sports and Environment 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 New York?: California has a population of 39,345,844 (1st of 51 US states) and New York has 20,003,435 (4th of 51).
How do California and New York compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: California $99,122 (6th of 51), New York $85,974 (16th of 51) among US states. California ranks better.
How do California and New York compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): California 5.5% (50th of 51), New York 4.3% (tied 33rd of 51) among US states. New York ranks better.
Where does California beat New York most clearly?: California ranks far ahead on Estimated Civil War Deaths (Civil War Casualties by State): 500 vs 39,000; Personnel Rank (Farming-Friendly States): 1st vs 49th; % Change in Prison Pop. 2022 to 2023 (Prison Population by State): -1,646.0% vs 1,435.0%.
Where does New York beat California most clearly?: New York ranks far ahead on % of Homeless Who Are Unsheltered (Homeless Population by State): 3.6% vs 66.3%; % Sheltered (Homeless Population by State): 96.4% vs 33.7%; Quality of Life (Pension-Friendly States): 100 vs 21.

More matchups

Other comparisons with California or New York.

All US states matchups