California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.5 million residents across a total area of about 163,696 square miles , California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation’s second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California’s most populous city, and the country’s second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation’s most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country’s second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.
If it were a country, California’s $3.1 trillion economy would be the fifth biggest in the world, ranked between Germany and the United Kingdom. The state represents 15% of the U.S. economy. Home prices in the state are the highest in the nation at a median of $592,000, having doubled from the lows of 2011 and surpassing their pre-recession highs in 2017. California’s outlook has weakened some with economic and job growth both expected slow over the next five years. However, a plus is the $58 billion in venture capital money invested in California companies over the past two years, an amount which is more than four times the total of any other state.