Living in Bakersfield

Bakersfield is a city in California, United States, home to 373,640 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are digital natives (top 11%, #518 of 4,750), students (top 15%, #297 of 2,119), car-free households (top 15%, #556 of 3,933).

Residents373,640

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport145 km (Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km488,400 people

Climate typeHot semi-arid (BSh)

Terrain around itabout 110 m, height range 80 m

Nearest major riverKern, 3.1 km

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Distance to Washington, D.C.3,711 km

Within 10 km411,890 people

Greater areaGreater Bakersfield, the core

Winter daylight9 h 46 min, sunset 1:47

See Bakersfield on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Bakersfield

On the shortest day the sun is up for 9 h 46 min and sets around 1:47; in late June it sets around 5:14.

Best places in Greater Bakersfield

How Bakersfield ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in United States. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Local data: official statistics on affordability, green space, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, lifestyle and amenities, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

Profile	Score	In United States	In California
Young family	15	#11,527 of 11,898	#745 of 863	Map
Low-income household	31	#6,624 of 9,771	#6 of 775	Map
Low-income family	14	#7,868 of 8,006	#595 of 709	Map
Single parent	17	#6,144 of 6,237	#545 of 612	Map
Pensioner couple	52	#7,669 of 9,474	#608 of 760	Map
Single pensioner	43	#8,255 of 9,474	#660 of 760	Map
Early retiree	53	#7,946 of 10,762	#685 of 811	Map
Single professional	54	#2,418 of 4,537	#315 of 532	Map
Young professional	59	#2,033 of 4,444	#286 of 527	Map
DINKS	56	#2,177 of 3,053	#333 of 420	Map
Remote worker	54	#5,122 of 7,271	#286 of 648	Map
Commuter	66	#2,753 of 6,227	#332 of 645	Map
Car-free household	73	#556 of 3,933	#118 of 490	Map
Student	77	#297 of 2,119	#34 of 267	Map
First-home buyer	38	#5,032 of 8,006	#46 of 709	Map
Budget-constrained mover	29	#9,108 of 12,111	#21 of 862	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	64	#1,069 of 4,114	#186 of 506	Map
Expat professional	51	#4,311 of 7,271	#484 of 648	Map
Healthcare-first mover	42	#7,645 of 9,474	#617 of 760	Map
Nature-focused household	8	#17,945 of 18,063	#966 of 1060	Map
Cross-border commuter		not ranked: must-have: a border within 45 km where pay is higher on the other side	–	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	0	#15,908 of 16,523	#896 of 1020	Map
Rural value seeker	8	#17,331 of 18,063	#600 of 1060	Map
High-net-worth mover	56	#6,272 of 16,523	#595 of 1020	Map
Lottery winner	66	#3,352 of 21,167	#382 of 1147	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	52	#10,768 of 12,111	#643 of 862	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	50	#6,240 of 12,111	#573 of 862	Map
Digital native	64	#518 of 4,750	#75 of 551	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Foundation100
Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)97
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)88
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)78
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)78
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)75
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)69
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)69
Mobility and connectivity65
Lifestyle and amenities62
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)58
Health and elderly50
Flat land (terrain relief)40
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)38
Jobs and economy35
Affordability26
Safety and community12
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)11
Education and family10
Green space4
Sea or lake shore3
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.