Facts and Information

Find out about Bakersfield!

Population (2022)
(source: U.S. Census Bureau)

City of Bakersfield 410,647
City population increased 18.18% between 2010 and 2022.
Population per square mile 2,693.7 (2020)

Weather
Average high/low temps 76.8F / 53.1F
Average annual rainfall 6.49”
Sunny days per year 272

Elevation
403’

Distance From
Los Angeles 112 mi / 180 km
San Diego 232 mi / 373 km

Sequoia National Park 97 mi / 156 km
San Francisco 284 mi / 457 km
Sacramento 286 mi / 460 km
Yosemite National Park 203 mi / 327 km
Las Vegas 286 mi / 460 km

Economy
Bakersfield’s economy is centered on many diverse industries. Agriculture, healthcare, oil, government, and distribution are just a few of the many industries that contribute to one of the fastest growing economies and regions in the nation.

Taxes
State Sales Tax - 7.25 percent
City Sales Tax - 1.00 percent
Hotel Tax (within Bakersfield city limits) - 12 percent
Hotel Tax (in unincorporated Kern County) - 6 percent

Local Media
The Bakersfield area is served by four major local TV affiliates, one local daily newspaper, numerous FM and AM radio stations and some local magazines.

Did you know . . . ?
52nd largest city by population in the U.S. (larger than Honolulu, St. Louis, or Pittsburgh).
9th largest city by population in CA (ranked between #8 Oakland and #10 Anaheim).
Home of the “Bakersfield Sound,” the distinct genre of country music made popular by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Billy Mize and others.
Home to Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, regularly nominated as Nightclub of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.
Hometown of musical group Korn.
More than 170 miles of bike trails, lanes, and paths.
Known for our many Basque restaurants.
Home to the nation’s two largest carrot growers.
Amtrak station is the nation’s 5th busiest in California, 22nd busiest in U.S.
Bakersfield Community Theater is the oldest continually operating community theater in California, and second oldest amateur community theater west of the Mississippi.
Guy Fieri spotlighted eight Bakersfield restaurants for his “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” on the Food Network in 2015.
Bakersfield has a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house. However, it is a private residence with no public tours. Reportedly, it is also the only Wright structure in California that cannot be seen from the street.
Bakersfield has welcomed U.S. presidents during their terms of office for more than 120 years: Rutherford B. Hayes (1880), Benjamin Harrison (1891), William McKinley (1900), Howard Taft (1909), George W. Bush (2004), and Barack Obama (2012).