PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Bakersfield-Delano, CA

38.8
Life Score / 100
C-
Grade (curved)
#343
of 387 metros
11%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Bakersfield ranks #343 of 387 US metros, ahead of 11% - carried by its schools (92/100) and held back most by environment (6/100).

92
strongest: Schools
88
then: Wages
6
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Bakersfield sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

39 11th percentile higher than 11% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). This entry sits in this band. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Bakersfield Life Score

Bakersfield's composite score of 38.8 out of 100, a grade of C-, places the metro at rank #343 of 387, ahead of 11% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (92/100) and Wages (88/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (6/100) and Childcare (9/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 100.9 (rent-RPP 90.3). BLS median salary $74,397, 328,670 jobs (Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,483/mo (studio $1,132).

FBI UCR (CA): 477 violent, 1986 property/100K. NCES: 21.5:1 ratio, 12.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,920/yr. EPA: 116 Superfund sites (CA). Ranks #340-#346 below.

Dimension detail

How Bakersfield scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 18/100 (20%)
Wages 88/100 (20%)
Rent 32/100 (15%)
Safety 13/100 (15%)
Schools 92/100 (10%)
Childcare 9/100 (10%)
Environment 6/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

100.9
Cost Index (RPP)
$74,397
Avg Median Salary
$1,483
2BR Fair Market Rent
477
Violent Crime/100K (CA)
21.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$17,920
Infant Childcare/yr (CA)
116
Superfund Sites (CA)
328,670
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Bakersfield With...

Bakersfield vs El Centro Compare → Bakersfield vs Visalia Compare → Bakersfield vs Redding Compare → Bakersfield vs Wildwood Compare → Bakersfield vs Waterloo Compare → Bakersfield vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Bakersfield outranks 11% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#340 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 38.9 C-
#341 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 39.0 C-
#342 Glens Falls, NY 39.0 C-
#343 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 38.8 C-
#344 Grand Junction, CO 38.8 C-
#345 Salinas, CA 38.8 C-
#346 Bellingham, WA 38.6 C-

CA Metro Scores

El Centro, CA C+ 46.7 Visalia, CA C 45.2 Redding, CA C 43.7 Yuba City, CA C 43.3 Merced, CA C 42.8 Vallejo, CA C 41.9

Using Bakersfield's Life Score

Bakersfield is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is schools (92/100) and its weakest is environment (6/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Bakersfield head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Bakersfield lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Bakersfield's biggest strengths? ▼
Bakersfield's strongest dimensions are Schools (92/100), Wages (88/100), Rent (32/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Bakersfield's weakest areas? ▼
Bakersfield's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (6/100), Childcare (9/100), Safety (13/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Bakersfield compared to the national average? ▼
Bakersfield's Regional Price Parity is 100.9 (0.9% more than national); rent RPP 90.3.
What is the average salary in Bakersfield? ▼
Bakersfield median salary: $74,397, 328,670 jobs. Top: Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Bakersfield's 38.8/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.