Which has more people, California or Virginia?

California has a population of 39,345,844 (1st of 51 US states) and Virginia has 8,940,572 (12th of 51).

How do California and Virginia compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: California $99,122 (6th of 51), Virginia $93,170 (12th of 51) among US states. California ranks better.

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

Unemployment Rate (%): California 5.5% (50th of 51), Virginia 3.4% (tied 10th of 51) among US states. Virginia ranks better.

Where does California beat Virginia most clearly?

California ranks far ahead on Median Doc Fee (Car Dealer Fees by State): $85.00 vs $899; Average Documentation Fee (Car Registration Fees by State): $85.00 vs $799; Homeless Youth Support Rank (Best States to Be Homeless): 1st vs 47th.

Where does Virginia beat California most clearly?

Virginia ranks far ahead on Avg. Internet Speed (Average Internet Speed by State): 505.6 vs 93; Homeless Rate (Homeless Population by State): 8.0 Per 10k Residents vs 48.0 Per 10k Residents; Aluminum Can Price (Aluminum Can Prices by State): $0.33 per lb vs $1.67 per lb.

California vs Virginia

Virginia comes out ahead of California on 424 of 810 statistics where one end is better, to 368 with 18 ties. California leads on Health, Agriculture and Sports. Virginia leads on Infrastructure & Energy, Population and Travel and 10 more categories.

810 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 18 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

California

Wins: 368
Avg. percentile: 54
Categories led: 3

Virginia

Wins: 424
Avg. percentile: 57
Categories led: 13

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US states.

Statistic	California	Virginia
Population	39,345,844 1st of 51	8,940,572 12th of 51
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$99,122 6th of 51	$93,170 12th of 51
Unemployment Rate (%)Unemployment Rate by State (BLS)	5.5% 50th of 51	3.4% tied 10th of 51
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	12.0% 29th of 51	9.89% 7th of 51
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)	110.7 51st of 51	101.1 36th of 51
Real Personal Income per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State	$63,028 13th of 51	$61,914 15th of 51
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by State (BLS)	$80,690 5th of 51	$74,040 11th of 51
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)	$2,036 51st of 51	$1,579 40th of 51
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	432.7 44th of 51	205.9 8th of 51
Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)	2,814 9th of 48	4,258 15th of 48

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

Infrastructure & EnergyVirginia · 36 statistics
PopulationVirginia · 125 statistics
TravelVirginia · 29 statistics
HealthCalifornia · 186 statistics
Facts & TriviaVirginia · 18 statistics
EducationVirginia · 51 statistics
GeographyVirginia · 25 statistics
EnvironmentVirginia · 40 statistics
AgricultureCalifornia · 17 statistics
Crime & SafetyVirginia · 76 statistics
CultureVirginia · 78 statistics
Politics & GovernmentVirginia · 125 statistics
Tech & BusinessVirginia · 48 statistics
LawVirginia · 73 statistics
EconomicsVirginia · 291 statistics
SportsCalifornia · 16 statistics

Biggest differences

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

Statistic	California	Virginia
Avg. Internet SpeedAverage Internet Speed by State	93 51st of 51	505.6 2nd of 51
Median Doc FeeCar Dealer Fees by State	$85.00 2nd of 51	$899 tied last of 51
Average Documentation FeeCar Registration Fees by State	$85.00 1st of 50	$799 48th of 50
Homeless Youth Support RankBest States to Be Homeless	1st 1st of 50	47th 47th of 50
Medical Cannabis CostMarijuana Cost by State	$257 4th of 50	$365 49th of 50
Estimated Civil War DeathsCivil War Casualties by State	500 tied 1st of 33	31,000 tied 29th of 33
FTE Lack of Laws RankMost Corrupt States	47th 4th best of 50	4th 4th worst of 50
Maternal Mortality Total Deaths (2019-2023)Maternal Mortality Rate by State	10.1 1st of 39	33.4 34th of 39
Homeless RateHomeless Population by State	48.0 Per 10k Residents 46th of 51	8.0 Per 10k Residents tied 2nd of 51
Speeding IncidentsWorst Drivers by State	0.9 per 1k drivers 5th of 51	5.9 per 1k drivers 48th of 51
NIghtlife Rank (WH)Most Boring States	5th 5th of 50	47th 47th of 50
ROI Potential RankFarming-Friendly States	1st 1st of 50	43rd 43rd of 50
Aluminum Can PriceAluminum Can Prices by State	$1.67 per lb 43rd of 43	$0.33 per lb tied 7th of 43
Clothing Sales Tax RateSales Tax on Clothing by State	7.25% 39th of 39	4.3% 7th of 39
Maternal Mortality Rate (2018-2022)Maternal Mortality Rate by State	10.5 per 100k Births 1st of 39	32.7 per 100k Births 33rd of 39
Average Wind SpeedWindiest States in the U.S.	13.54 mph 50th of 51	19.32 mph 8th of 51
SWAMP Index ScoreMost Corrupt States	75.24 4th of 51	32.79 46th of 51
MidwifeNursing Pay by State	$154,500 1st of 37	$94,920 31st of 37
Tipped WagesMinimum Wage by State	$16.90 2nd of 49	$2.13 tied last of 49
Teacher's Union Rank (1=Strongest)States with Teacher Unions	6th 6th of 51	47th 47th of 51
Air Quality Rank (US News)Air Quality by State	49th 49th of 50	9th 9th of 50
Days with Unhealthy Air Quality (US News)Air Quality by State	234 49th of 50	90 9th of 50
Registration FeeCar Registration Fees by State	$524 46th of 50	$36.00 6th of 50
Theft RateStolen Cars by State	511 per 100k 49th of 51	143 per 100k 9th of 51
Costs RankFarming-Friendly States	50th 50th of 50	11th 11th of 50
Car Sales Tax RateCar Sales Tax by State	7.25% 44th of 45	4.15% 9th of 45
Burglary Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by State (FBI)	275.1 44th of 51	87.1 5th of 51
Personnel RankFarming-Friendly States	1st 1st of 50	39th 39th of 50
Attractive People RankMost Attractive States	2nd 2nd of 49	40th 39th of 49
US HighwayAccidents 2018-2022Jaywalking Laws By State	3.72% 4th of 44	43.5% 37th 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 Virginia?: Virginia comes out ahead of California on 424 of 810 statistics where one end is better, to 368 with 18 ties. California leads on Health, Agriculture and Sports. Virginia leads on Infrastructure & Energy, Population and Travel and 10 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, California or Virginia?: California has a population of 39,345,844 (1st of 51 US states) and Virginia has 8,940,572 (12th of 51).
How do California and Virginia compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: California $99,122 (6th of 51), Virginia $93,170 (12th of 51) among US states. California ranks better.
How do California and Virginia compare on Unemployment Rate (%)?: Unemployment Rate (%): California 5.5% (50th of 51), Virginia 3.4% (tied 10th of 51) among US states. Virginia ranks better.
Where does California beat Virginia most clearly?: California ranks far ahead on Median Doc Fee (Car Dealer Fees by State): $85.00 vs $899; Average Documentation Fee (Car Registration Fees by State): $85.00 vs $799; Homeless Youth Support Rank (Best States to Be Homeless): 1st vs 47th.
Where does Virginia beat California most clearly?: Virginia ranks far ahead on Avg. Internet Speed (Average Internet Speed by State): 505.6 vs 93; Homeless Rate (Homeless Population by State): 8.0 Per 10k Residents vs 48.0 Per 10k Residents; Aluminum Can Price (Aluminum Can Prices by State): $0.33 per lb vs $1.67 per lb.

More matchups

Other comparisons with California or Virginia.

All US states matchups