County Clues Play today's puzzle

California counties quiz

Find the hidden California county out of all 58. Each guess shows how far, which way, and how big.

58 counties

    How the clues work

    People compares your guess with the mystery county's 2023 population, from "Close" (within about 10%) to "Vastly more" (over 8 times as many). Growth says whether the mystery county grew faster or slower from 2020 to 2023, within one point counts as similar. Distance is in miles between the two counties' middles, with an arrow pointing the way to go; it turns striped within 40 miles.

    Same or very close In the right range Different Head this way

    A round, worked through

    Say the mystery county is Los Angeles County, the state's largest, with 9,663,345 people. You open with Del Norte County, 26,589 people. The tiles read: People: Vastly more; Growth: Similar; Distance: 607 mi, arrow southeast.

    So the mystery is 607 miles southeast and has more people. You pick Fresno County, closer that way: People: Vastly more; Growth: Slower; Distance: 194 mi, arrow southeast. Now the mystery is 194 miles southeast and has more people. Only a few counties fit both clues.

    Questions

    How many counties are in California?

    California has 58 counties in the Census Bureau's 2023 list. This quiz uses all of them.

    What is the largest county in California by population?

    Los Angeles County, with 9,663,345 people in 2023, down 3.3% since 2020.

    What is the largest county in California by land area?

    San Bernardino County, with 20,068 square miles of land.

    Which California county has the fewest people?

    Alpine County, with 1,141 people in 2023.

    Which California county is growing fastest?

    Among counties with 10,000 or more people, San Benito County grew fastest from 2020 to 2023, up 5.7%. Lassen County shrank the most, down 10.7%.

    Is the daily County Clues puzzle the same?

    The daily puzzle hides one county from the whole country each day, from the counties with 50,000 or more people, and gives state, division and region clues instead of distance. This page is practice you can replay.

    Populations are the US Census Bureau's 2023 estimates; growth is the change since 2020. Distances run between each place's middle point on the Census Bureau's 2023 county list. Both are public domain.