Bakersfield, CA

Census Place

2024 Population

411,986

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

32.1

0.627% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.3%

2.13% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$80,540

4.06% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$371,700

Population & Diversity

Bakersfield, CA is home to a population of 412k people, from which 89.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 20.2% of Bakersfield, CA residents were born outside of the country (83.1k people).

In 2024, there were 1.45 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (114k people) in Bakersfield, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 78.5k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 74.6k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.4%

2024 Citizenship

89.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.4% of Bakersfield, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bakersfield, CA was 89.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bakersfield, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bakersfield, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
114k ± 3.16k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
78.5k ± 4.66k
Other (Hispanic)
74.6k ± 4.42k

54.7%

Hispanic Population

225k people

54.7% of the people in Bakersfield, CA are hispanic (225k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bakersfield, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for California.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,877,888 ± 45,899 people
Philippines
827,719 ± 22,100 people
China
695,724 ± 20,296 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of California was Mexico, the natal country of 3,877,888 California residents, followed by Philippines with 827,719 and China with 695,724.

Foreign-Born Population

20.2%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

83.1k people

19.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

81.2k people

As of 2024, 20.2% of Bakersfield, CA residents (83.1k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bakersfield, CA was 19.9%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bakersfield, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
4,143 ± 593
Vietnam
3,519 ± 454
Gulf War (1990s)
2,116 ± 416

Bakersfield, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.18 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bakersfield, CA.

Economy

The economy of Bakersfield, CA employs 177k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bakersfield, CA were Health Care & Social Assistance (25,518 people), Retail Trade (20,189 people), and Educational Services (19,962 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($108,580), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($84,821), and Public Administration ($78,122).

Employment

Occupations

177k

2024 Value

± 3,899

1.18%

1 Year growth

± 3.21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bakersfield, CA grew at a rate of 1.18%, from 175k employees to 177k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bakersfield, CA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (18,522 people), Sales & Related Occupations (16,272 people), and Management Occupations (14,610 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bakersfield, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

177k

2024 Value

± 3,899

1.18%

1 Year growth

± 3.21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bakersfield, CA grew at a rate of 1.18%, from 175k employees to 177k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bakersfield, CA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (25,518 people), Retail Trade (20,189 people), and Educational Services (19,962 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bakersfield, CA, though some of these residents may live in Bakersfield, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,147

Median earning men ± $1,386

$36,379

Median earning women ± $1,117

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($96,128), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,878), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($62,034).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($53,611), Wholesale Trade ($52,344), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($50,498).

Education

The student population of Bakersfield, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 18,094 male students and 26,429 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Bakersfield, CA are Hispanic or Latino (7,653 and 65.2%), White (1,653 and 14.1%), Unknown (978 and 8.33%), and Asian (600 and 5.11%).

The largest universities in Bakersfield, CA by number of degrees awarded are Bakersfield College (7,123 and 60.5%), California State University-Bakersfield (2,564 and 21.8%), and UEI College-Bakersfield (1,113 and 9.45%).

The most popular majors in Bakersfield, CA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (4,358 and 37%), General Psychology (658 and 5.59%), and General Business Administration & Management (554 and 4.7%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $3,732 for in-state students and $14,967 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Bakersfield, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 93.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 44,523 (40.6% men and 59.4% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 44,523 students enrolled in Bakersfield, CA, 40.6% men and 59.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 31,325 records, of which 61.4% were women and 38.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
2,208 degrees awarded
General Psychology
356 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
270 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Bakersfield, CA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 2,208 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Bakersfield, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Bakersfield College
7,123 degrees awarded
California State University-Bakersfield
2,564 degrees awarded
UEI College-Bakersfield
1,113 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Bakersfield College with 7,123 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 4,088 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Bakersfield, CA, which is 0.531 times less than the 7,693 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 7,653 degrees mean that there were 4.63 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 1,653 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($3,732) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,027) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,003) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bakersfield, CA was $371,700 in 2024, which is 1.12 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $347,300 to $371,700, a 7.03% increase. The homeownership rate in Bakersfield, CA is 60.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bakersfield, CA have an average commute time of 23.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bakersfield, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$371,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,302

$78,521

Median Property Taxes

±$2,251

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bakersfield, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bakersfield, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60.6%

Homeownership

2024

67.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.6% of the housing units in Bakersfield, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bakersfield, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$80,540

Median Household Income

± $2,119

130k

Number of Households

± 3,062

In 2024, the median household income of the 130k households in Bakersfield, CA grew to $80,540 from the previous year's value of $77,397.

The following chart displays the households in Bakersfield, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bakersfield, CA is from California.

0.493

2024 Wage GINI in California

0.495

2023 Wage GINI in California

In 2024, the income inequality in California was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.424% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for California was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in California in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in California across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.1%)
Carpooled (10.2%)
Worked At Home (8.15%)

In 2024, 79.1% of workers in Bakersfield, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.2%) and those who worked at home (8.15%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bakersfield, CA have a shorter commute time (23.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.38% of the workforce in Bakersfield, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bakersfield, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bakersfield, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bakersfield, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bakersfield, CA (66.7k out of 409k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bakersfield, CA is Hispanic, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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