The true size of New York City vs Los Angeles
Los Angeles is roughly 1.66× the area of New York City — a difference of about 518.2 km² (200 sq mi).
USA
New York City
783.8 km² (303 sq mi)
~8.3M people
New York City covers 783.8 km² (302.6 sq mi) across five boroughs on the US Atlantic coast.
USA
Los Angeles
1,302 km² (503 sq mi)
~3.9M people
The City of Los Angeles sprawls across 1,302 km² (503 sq mi) of Southern California.
Why raw area is misleading on a world map
Standard web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches shapes further from the equator. That's why New York City and Los Angeles can look similar on a map even when one is many times larger. To really feel the difference, you have to overlay one city's outline directly on top of the other at true scale.
Quick facts
- New York City: 783.8 km² · 303 sq mi
- Los Angeles: 1,302 km² · 503 sq mi
- Ratio: Los Angeles is 1.66× New York City
- Absolute difference: 518.2 km²