Bakersfield composite
45.7 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Bakersfield vs Riverside
Bakersfield-Delano, CA and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 45.7
- Bakersfield Life Score
- C+
- Bakersfield grade
- 39.7
- Riverside Life Score
- D
- Riverside grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Bakersfield scores higher on 4 (cost of living, rent, safety, childcare) and Riverside on 3 (wages, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Bakersfield Riverside ◗
cost of living
18
6
wages
88
91
rent
32
5
safety
14
11
schools
94
97
childcare
9
6
environment
74
77
Bakersfield and Riverside differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Bakersfield has a cost-of-living index of 100.9 vs Riverside's 106.4 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $74,397 in Bakersfield and $76,654 in Riverside. A 2-bedroom averages $1,483/mo vs $2,201/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Bakersfield vs Riverside Comparison
Bakersfield (CA) and Riverside (CA) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 100.9 for Bakersfield against 106.4 for Riverside, a 5.6-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,483/mo in Bakersfield and $2,201/mo in Riverside, a $718/mo difference that compounds to $8,616 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $74,397 across 328,670 jobs in Bakersfield against $76,654 across 1,694,510 jobs in Riverside. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Bakersfield carries the same local purchasing power as $105,507 in Riverside - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 476.8 per 100,000 residents in CA vs 476.8 in CA, with property-crime rates of 1985.9 and 1985.9 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: CA lists 10,006 public schools at a 21.5:1 student-teacher ratio, while CA lists 10,006 schools at 21.5:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $17,920/yr in the Bakersfield area versus $17,920/yr in Riverside - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Bakersfield and Riverside are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Riverside composite
39.7 /100
Grade D · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-5.6 pts
Bakersfield vs Riverside BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$718 /mo
Riverside priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Bakersfield
Bakersfield composite (Grade C+)
Riverside
Riverside composite (Grade D)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Bakersfield | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 100.9 | 106.4 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 101.4 |
| Services | 158.3 | 148.6 |
| Rents | 90.3 | 129.3 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Riverside gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Bakersfield?
$
Equivalent in Riverside:
$105,507
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Bakersfield: 100.9, Riverside: 106.4, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Bakersfield | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,132/mo | $1,692/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,140/mo | $1,777/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,483/mo | $2,201/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,062/mo | $2,912/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,488/mo | $3,514/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Bakersfield | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $74,397 | $76,654 |
| Total Employment | 328,670 | 1,694,510 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Bakersfield (CA) | Riverside (CA) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 476.8 | 476.8 |
| Property Crime | 1985.9 | 1985.9 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | CA | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 10,006 | 10,006 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 21.5:1 | 21.5:1 |
| Charter Schools | 12.8% | 12.8% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | CA | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $17,920/yr | $17,920/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $12,300/yr | $12,300/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $11,385/yr | $11,385/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | CA | CA |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 1,426 | 1,426 |
| Water Systems | 3,068 | 3,068 |
| Superfund Sites | 116 | 116 |
| Water Violations | 17,705 | 17,705 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Bakersfield | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 70.0 | 87.0 |
| Good Air Days | 17.5% | 7.4% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 65 days | 136 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | CA | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 14/100 | 14/100 |
| Total Violations | 153,308 | 153,308 |
| Health-Based Violations | 63,983 | 63,983 |
| Systems with Violations | 89.2% | 89.2% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | CA | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 41/100 | 41/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 58.6% | 58.6% |
| HPSA Designations | 1,623 | 1,623 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | CA | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 12/100 | 12/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 88.7 | 88.7 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 87.9 | 87.9 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bakersfield more expensive than Riverside? ▼
Bakersfield has a cost of living index of 100.9 compared to Riverside's 106.4 (national average = 100). Riverside is 5.6 points above Bakersfield on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Bakersfield and Riverside? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,483/mo in Bakersfield vs $2,201/mo in Riverside, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,132/mo to $1,692/mo.
How do salaries compare between Bakersfield and Riverside? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $74,397 in Bakersfield and $76,654 in Riverside, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Bakersfield has the same purchasing power as $105,507 in Riverside.
Is Bakersfield or Riverside safer? ▼
At the state level, CA has a violent crime rate of 476.8 per 100,000 residents compared to CA's 476.8 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1985.9 vs 1985.9 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Bakersfield and Riverside? ▼
CA has 10,006 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 21.5:1, while CA has 10,006 schools at 21.5:1. Charter schools make up 12.8% of CA schools vs 12.8% in CA. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
Explore more
Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare