how many square miles is the greater los angeles area

The Greater Los Angeles area is commonly cited at about 33,954 square miles. A slightly rounded figure of 33,950 square miles also appears in some references, depending on how the region is defined.

What that includes

That number usually refers to the larger metro/combined statistical region in Southern California, not just the City of Los Angeles or even Los Angeles County.

Why the number varies

Different sources use different boundaries, so you may also see smaller figures for the Los Angeles metropolitan area itself, such as about 4,850 square miles. The bigger 33,954 square miles figure is the one most people mean when they say “Greater Los Angeles.”