Elevation of Los Angeles
284ft
above sea level · 87 m
Los Angeles is a city in California with 3,869,089 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 34th lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 34.05° N · 118.24° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 34° 3′ 8″ N · 118° 14′ 37″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 11S · 385,215 E · 3,768,645 N
- Zone 11 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Pacific Time
- UTC−8 · UTC−7 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 3,869,089 people
- 471 sq mi of land · 8,223 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from June 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Los Angeles had 3,869,089 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.8% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 3,899,342. Its 471 sq mi of land work out to 8,223 people/sq mi; the state average is 253 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 1,617 places the Census counts in California (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 9.8% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Los Angeles County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 9.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Los Angeles sits at 284 ft (87 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Los Angeles is 574 ft below it.
The state capital, Sacramento, is 361 mi away in a straight line and 257 ft lower than Los Angeles.
Of the 15 cities in California with a page, Los Angeles is the 4th highest: the highest is Riverside (829 ft) and the lowest is Stockton (12 ft).
The highest point in California is Mount Whitney, at 14,494 ft according to the USGS: 14,210 ft above Los Angeles, 175 mi away in a straight line.
- 58 Los Angeles 284 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Los Angeles.
What is the elevation of Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is 284 feet (87 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Los Angeles?
Latitude 34.05223 and longitude -118.24369, in decimal degrees (34° 3′ 8″ N · 118° 14′ 37″ W). In UTM, zone 11: 385,215 E and 3,768,645 N, on NAD83.
How does Los Angeles rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 34th lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Los Angeles in?
Los Angeles County, California.
Which is higher, Los Angeles or Sacramento?
Los Angeles. Los Angeles sits at 284 ft and Sacramento at 27 ft: a difference of 257 ft, 361 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know