What is the most populous state?

California is the most populous state in the United States, with about 39.5 million residents according to the 2020 Census, more than the entire population of Canada and roughly the same as Spain. California's population would rank it about 36th in the world if it were an independent country, and its economy of about 3.9 trillion dollars in 2023 would rank fifth in the world after the United States, China, Germany, and Japan. The state covers about 163,700 square miles, the third largest state by area after Alaska and Texas, and stretches nearly 770 miles north to south along the Pacific coast.

California has been the most populous state since 1962, when it surpassed New York. Population growth was driven by waves of migration: the Gold Rush of 1848 to 1855 brought about 300,000 people; the early twentieth century saw massive migration from the Midwest and South, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s when about 1.3 million people moved west; the post-World War II boom drove suburban development and aerospace industry growth; and from the 1970s onward, large-scale immigration from Latin America and Asia transformed the state into perhaps the most diverse in the country. About 27 percent of Californians are foreign-born, and the state has the largest Hispanic and Asian populations of any state.

California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850, admitted as a free state shortly after the Mexican Cession of February 2, 1848 transferred the territory from Mexico to the United States. The capital is Sacramento, but the largest cities are Los Angeles (about 3.9 million), San Diego (about 1.4 million), San Jose (about 1 million), San Francisco (about 870,000), and Fresno (about 540,000). The Los Angeles metropolitan area has about 13 million people and the San Francisco Bay Area about 7.7 million.

Geographic diversity is extraordinary: the state contains the highest point in the lower 48 states (Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet) and the lowest (Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level) only 88 miles apart. Climate ranges from Mediterranean in coastal valleys to arid in the Mojave Desert to alpine in the Sierra Nevada. The economy includes agriculture (the Central Valley produces more than half of America's fruit and vegetables), entertainment (Hollywood), technology (Silicon Valley), aerospace (Southern California), and tourism.

Major universities include the University of California system founded 1868, Stanford founded 1885, and Caltech founded 1891. California's politics, culture, and economy give it disproportionate influence on national life.