Bigger Population in LA or Missouri? The Truth is Shocking

I was born and raised in Missouri, but lived in California for awhile around 30 years ago so I have background in both states. Even having lived there for a bit, I was absolutely shocked when I saw the population difference between Missouri and just the Los Angeles area. You might be, too.

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Without Googling it, would you guess that the entire state of Missouri or just the Los Angeles area would have a larger population? I got it wrong, so don't feel bad if you do also.

I began digging into this question when I saw a map graphic shared on Reddit. It shows the states that have a smaller population than Los Angeles. The smaller states are in blue.

States with a smaller population than Los Angeles County [960 x 606]
byu/SwiftOryx inMapPorn

Now for the shocking part (for me and maybe you)...what's the population difference between Missouri and the Los Angeles area

The latest US Census says the state of Missouri has a population of 6,177,957.

The latest US Census says that Los Angeles County has a population of 9,721,138.

Missouri is not an anomaly either. Only 9 states have a bigger population than Los Angeles County. That is crazy to me. Math is not my strong suit (understatement), but I cannot conceive that one metro area in America dwarfs entire states and by a large margin.

I don't fear or despise Californians like many seem to, but I understand the concerns about one city having so much influence compared to wide populations that cover states. I'd probably feel better if they'd let us have an In-N-Out Burger or two (or three).