Bakersfield, California population is 422,165 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #47 nationally and #9 in California. Cost of living runs 0.9% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $96,521/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
422,165
+2,821 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 100.9
+0.9% vs US
Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$96,521/yr
+20% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$80,540
+3.6% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$371,700
+23% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$1,483/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
99°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
27%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Bakersfield?
422,165 people live in Bakersfield as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #47 largest U.S. city.
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 4.4% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 404,362 → 2025: 422,165 (+4.4%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
404,362
April 1, 2020
2020
405,185
July 1, 2020
2021
409,522
July 1, 2021
2022
412,848
July 1, 2022
2023
415,043
July 1, 2023
2024
419,344
July 1, 2024
2025
422,165
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 10.1% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Bakersfield is the #47 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #9 in California.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
404,362
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+17,803
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+4.4%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+2,821
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.7%
within V2025 only
Density
2,806
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
150.4
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#47
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#9
of 483 in California
What is the median household income in Bakersfield?
Median household income is 4% above the U.S. median ($80,540 vs $77,719); 16.3% live in poverty — 3.8 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$80,540
US
Bakersfield: $80,540 — 4% above the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Bakersfield
$80,540
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Bakersfield from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
80,540+3.6% vs US
±2,119
Per capita income
33,405-22.8% vs US
±840
Population in poverty
16.3%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 23% above the U.S. median ($371,700 vs $303,400); median rent is 9% above ($1,472 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 4.6×, making it 1.2× as cost-burdened as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$371,700
US
Bakersfield: $371,700 — 23% above the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,483/mo
US
Bakersfield: $1,483/mo — 38% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Bakersfield. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
6.3%
Bakersfield (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
193,217
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
8.2%-41.8% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Bakersfield sits in Kern County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Kern County
18.6%
$71,295
8.6%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Bakersfield's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (11)
57,718
$737 / wk
#2
Health care and social assistance (62)
47,178
$1,056 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
31,905
$786 / wk
#4
Accommodation and food services (72)
26,656
$545 / wk
#5
Transportation and warehousing (48-49)
17,844
$1,347 / wk
What workers earn in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse is the largest tracked occupation in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro (32,500 jobs, median $34,620/yr).
▸ Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
32,500
$34,620
$16.64
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
17,270
$34,320
$16.50
Fast Food and Counter Workers
9,180
$39,470
$18.98
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
8,440
$46,890
$22.55
Cashiers
8,350
$35,220
$16.93
Stockers and Order Fillers
6,190
$39,070
$18.78
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary
6,040
$38,930
—
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
7,050
$57,690
$27.73
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
6,050
$36,320
$17.46
Registered Nurses · benchmark
5,620
$128,810
$61.93
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run within 1 point of the U.S. average (RPP 100.9); utilities stand out at RPP 158.3 (58.3% above the U.S. average).
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 100.9
US
Bakersfield's cost of living runs 0.9% above the U.S. average (RPP 100.9 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 100.9
+0.9% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,483/mo
FY2026 · Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA
State income tax (top marginal rate)
12.30%
9 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$8,043/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,500/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in California · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
20.2% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (35.8% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Bakersfield's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
14 districts serve Bakersfield, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts. Expand the list below to see every district sorted primary first. See methodology §12.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Bakersfield?
Hottest month: July (99°F avg high). Coldest: December (39°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 7.1 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Bakersfield from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 98.9/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Wildfire (99.7).
Natural-hazard exposure for Bakersfield from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Kern County
98.9
Relatively High
Wildfire 99.7 Relatively High · Heat Wave 99.5 Relatively High · Earthquake 99.4 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Bakersfield?
17 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 27% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Bakersfield from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
17 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
11
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
26.8%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
26.7%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
149,334
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Bakersfield?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 2,308 violent and 10,277 property offenses in the Bakersfield jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 554.6 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Bakersfield — an FBI jurisdiction population of 416,120, versus the Census place population of 422,165. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
2,308
554.6
359.1
Property crime
10,277
2,469.7
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
28
Rape
170
Robbery
523
Aggravated assault
1,587
Burglary
2,237
Larceny-theft
5,239
Motor vehicle theft
2,801
Arson (12-month reporters only)
17
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
546.3
3,972.3
411,873
2023
882.2
3,328.7
413,409
2024
554.6
2,469.7
416,120
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Bakersfield · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Bakersfield sits at state rank #9 among 483 cities in California. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Minneapolis, MN · #46 · 430,324 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Tulsa, OK · #48 · 416,209 residents.
Quick travel facts for Bakersfield
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Meadows Field(BFL) ·
6 mi 9 km from city centroid
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Bakersfield.
How many people live in Bakersfield, CA?
Bakersfield has 422,165 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #47 largest city in the United States and #9 in California. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Bakersfield growing or shrinking?
Bakersfield has grown 4.4% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 17,803 residents, including a 0.7% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Bakersfield's population in the 2020 census?
Bakersfield covers 150.4 square miles of land, with a population density of about 2,806 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Bakersfield?
$80,540, about 4% above the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID0603526
Last build2026-07-05
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Bakersfield is 0603526. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
