It is said that there are fewer combat & bomb deaths in Iraq than in CA: a similar size area with equal populations.
If you compare combat and bombing deaths in Iraq with all the deaths in California, that is true. If you compare all of the deaths in Iraq, with all the deaths in California, that is most definately not true. It is far safer in California than Iraq.
Also, there are about 6 million more people in California. Maybe more now that so many have left Iraq.