Wyoming vs California. Welcome to my video about Wyoming and California. In this video we’re going to be looking at some of the key differences between these two states and trying to figure out which one is better for living. I know that there are a lot of people out there who would love to move from California to Wyoming, or vice versa. And I also know that there are plenty of people who have already made the move and can tell you what it’s like on both sides. But for those of us who haven’t made the leap yet, we need some guidance! So let’s get started!
We have another comparison for you. And it’s going to shock you what we are going to compare Wyoming to because they are vastly different, but it is super interesting. Hi, I’m Alisha Collins with the Alisha Collins Real Estate Team. Let’s take a look at how different or not California is from Wyoming.
Let’s start with the basics. Wyoming is just under 98,000 square miles and California is just under 163,700 square miles. California is almost twice the size of Wyoming. California is actually the third largest state in the US when it comes to area. Now, if you remember, Wyoming has a pretty small population, the lowest in all other 50 states. So California definitely has more people than Wyoming’s roughly 579,000 people. And how many more? California has over 39.24 million people. Way more than two times the amount of people in Wyoming. That is a ton of people. Definitely higher population density in California. If this is a contest for top population density, then California would definitely win. I don’t know about you, but I prefer a little bit smaller density levels. But you can decide for yourself. Okay. So we have way more people, a lot larger space. What else do we want to consider when comparing these two states?
What about median income and median home price? Well, according to homesnacks.com, California is ranked two places higher than Wyoming. I know their list takes more into consideration than just median income and home price. But let’s take a look at how these two statistics stack up for California versus Wyoming. Wyoming has a median income of just over 65,000, which is more than 10,000 lower than California’s median income of $78,672. However, when you look at the median home price in California, I think this is where Wyoming really pulls ahead. California’s median home price is a whopping $538,500. When you take that and compare it to Wyoming’s $228,000, you can definitely buy more home with your money in Wyoming.
All right, while we’re on numbers, let’s look at taxes. If you remember, one of the advantages of living in Wyoming is that there isn’t a state income tax here. So another win for Wyoming, since California’s state income tax ranges from 1 to 12.3%, depending on the income level of the person. What about sales tax? Wyoming has a sales tax of 4%, and then each district can add additional on top of that. Most counties have a sales tax total of between 4 and 6%, with Jackson being the exception at 8%. On the other hand, California’s sales tax range from 7.25 to 10.75. Yes, you will definitely have to pay less in income and sales tax if you live in Wyoming. So what about property tax? According to taxfoundation.org, Wyoming gets another in the win column on this one, at an average of 0.51% compared to California’s 0.71%. Plus, due to the higher population costs in California, you definitely will spend more in property taxes in California than in Wyoming.
Since we’re talking taxes and numbers, we should probably touch on the fact that Wyoming is one of the best states for businesses, at least when it comes to taxes. According to taxfoundation.org, it is actually the number one state when it comes to business tax climate, where California comes in at number 48. Ouch. But then according to fool.com, California comes in at number 11, just two spots lower than Wyoming’s number 9 places to start your business. As usual, it depends on which source and what measure to see which is better for business, number 1 versus 48, and number 9 versus 11. I have to say Wyoming might win this one as well. I suppose depending on what your business is, if you need more customers locally, California would come out ahead of this one just by sheer number of people, as their population is way higher. One advantage of a larger population. That is part of the consideration that visualcapitalist.com looks at in the best states for business ranking among other factors. On this comparison, California comes in at 29 and Wyoming at 32. So this list shows California having the advantage. So as always, you need to look at all the factors to decide what factors are most important to you and your business. Well, Wyoming appears to come out ahead when it comes to the numbers on paper, but living somewhere is more than just the numbers.
I can’t speak for California but Wyoming is full of friendly, helpful people. So since I don’t live in California, I had to go to the internet to see about people in California. According to bigseventravel.com, Wyoming definitely wins over California when it comes to friendly. We come in at 5th versus California’s 40th. If I had to guess, I would hazard that California citizens in the smaller cities and more rural areas are more friendly and helpful than in the larger cities.
Okay, so speaking of cities, you know that Wyoming has a couple of larger cities and definitely some smaller towns. Does California? We know that Los Angeles has a population of over 3.8 million, which is over six times larger than the population of the entire state of Wyoming. So you really can’t compare when it comes to large cities. If a large city is what you want, California will win that one. Los Angeles is California’s biggest city by a lot, and the next largest is San Diego with over 1.3 million inhabitants. The top four largest cities in California are all larger than the population of the entire state of Wyoming. So if you want a big city, you will definitely want California over Wyoming. As a matter of fact, California’s top 140 cities all have more people than Wyoming’s largest city, Cheyenne. California has several mid-size cities as well, with smaller population sizes to Cheyenne and Wyoming’s top cities. But what about the smaller cities? Wyoming’s smallest town has a population of four. California, a population of three. So I’m not sure who would win that one. Depends on if you want to be around people or not. Simply looking at the list of cities by population, you will see that both states have a mix of small and medium cities But California definitely has more cities and more people overall.
Okay, so what about the climate? Is all of California beautifully warm weather all the time, or is that just a generalization or an exaggeration? Well, much of California is pretty nice weather-wise, warm, dry summers, mild, wet winters. But with the size of California, you get a wide range, from hot desert to alpine tundra, depending on location and elevation. The areas closer to the coast offer a more modern climate. With such a varied climate it’s hard to compare the overall state to Wyoming. For example, some areas of California have annual precipitation of only 5 inches and some up to 100 inches a year. Comparatively, Wyoming is a dry state with only 10 inches average precipitation a year. California’s temperatures vary depending on where in the state. Summers from 63 to 117 degrees and winters from 42 to 70 degrees, where Wyoming summers range from 75 to 90 degrees and winters from 0 to 18 degrees or less, as we know. So California has a broader range of temperatures, but definitely warmer on average than Wyoming. If you want to experience true four seasons, I think Wyoming is the best bet for them.
So what about the political climate? Wyoming is definitely known as a conservative state as a whole, with pockets of more liberal areas. California, on the other hand, leans more democratic, predominantly concentrated in the more populated regions of the state. However, the more rural areas tend to lean a little more conservative. If you look at a map simply by area, it looks like the state is pretty divided evenly between Republican and Democrats. However, if you look at a population map, California is definitely a more dominant democratic state. So depend on which way you lean, you will have to decide which area is more suited to your political views.
Okay, so the last comparison I can think of is all about the great outdoors, and I am not sure there is a winner there. Both states have amazing mountains, lakes, rivers for camping, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, skiing, and more. Apparently California has nine national parks, which does trump Wyoming’s two. California also has a coast and access to the ocean, which of course, landlocked Wyoming doesn’t. Wyoming has some great beaches, but they’re all around several of our amazing lakes. If there is an outdoor activity you want to try, you probably can do it in either California or Wyoming. With the ocean and the extra national parks, maybe California wins this one. However, since there are so many people, you have to share the great outdoors quite a bit more in California than you do in Wyoming.
Okay, so while it’s been interesting to compare these two, they have more similarities than I thought they would. I would have to say the differences are large enough that it should help you make a decision if you are trying to decide between the two states. Good luck with your decision. And remember, if you decide to come to Wyoming, I know a great realtor. Please subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss any of our great videos. We love talking with you, so reach out to us if you have any questions. We have time for you and we would love to help you. Remember, we want you to love you live.