Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in United States instead of California, you would:

Health

live 1.6 years longer

In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 28.8% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 3.6% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

make 12.4% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $73,600 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, The World Factbook.

Compare further: California vs. United States
Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
United States is 11.5% cheaper than California
→
Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 24 times smaller than United States.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Los Angeles vs New York City
→

United States: At a glance

United States (sometimes abbreviated US or USA) is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 9,147,593 sq km. Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Read more

How big is United States compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.