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Population Review

Census ACS 2023 · 18 metrics compared

California vs Tennessee

California and Tennessee compared across 18 demographic and economic metrics. California leads in 8 of the comparable categories.

MetricCaliforniaTennessee
Population39,242,7856,986,082
Median Age37.638.9
Median Household Income$96,334$67,097
Per Capita Income$47,977$37,866
Poverty Rate8.4%9.9%
Unemployment Rate4.1%2.9%
Median Home Value$695,400$256,800
Median Rent$1,956$1,122
Homeownership Rate55.8%67.0%
Bachelor's Degree+36.5%30.4%
High School+84.6%89.6%
Work From Home15.5%11.4%
Avg Commute (min)29.025.7
White44.0%73.5%
Hispanic2.8%1.3%
Black5.5%15.9%
Asian0.0%0.0%
Foreign Born15.2%35.3%

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Frequently Asked Questions

California has a population of 39,242,785 compared to Tennessee's 6,986,082.

Across the metrics compared, California leads in 8 categories while Tennessee leads in 5. However, "better" depends on what matters most to you, income, cost of living, education, climate, and personal preferences all play a role.

All data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-Year estimates by the US Census Bureau.

Comparison based on American Community Survey 2023 5-Year estimates. Green highlighting indicates the "better" value where applicable (higher income is better, lower poverty is better, etc.). Race and ethnicity metrics are not highlighted as there is no "better" value.