Bakersfield, California
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Bakersfield.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Bakersfield compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 408,366City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $77,397Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 108ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)8% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $347,300City limits (ACS)14% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,371City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 8.3%County LAUS · not city-only4.1 pts above U.S. avgU.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 24 minNear U.S. avg (25 min)U.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3816% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 455.1annualized per 100k · citywide24% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 4141.9annualized per 100k · citywide34% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 96°F9.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 41°F7.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 6.4 in81% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 32723% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Bakersfield with another city
Bakersfield, California counts about 408,366 residents inside the city limits. Households here report a median income near $77,397; our housing-derived cost index is about 108 (close to the national housing-cost baseline). A typical home near $347,300 and rents around $1,371 frame most shortlists.
Pacific weather, wildfire seasons, and housing scarcity dominate relocation tradeoffs. Roughly 327 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Commutes average near 24 minutes one-way, with walkability near 38/100. Unemployment near 8.3% is elevated versus many peer cities, so industry mix matters more in a move decision. Violent-offense rates near 455.1 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Bakersfield sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Bakersfield with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Bakersfield city, 1600000US0603526)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN060290000000003 (Kern County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00023155 BAKERSFIELD AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28