How serious are America’s mayors? · Incorporated city
Bakersfield, CA
417,468 people, 2024 · Census GEOID 0603526 · Census profile · mayors: being verified
Overall in 2023, Bakersfield ranked #87 of 340 cities and 4th of 14 in its peer group, on 8 of 9 measures. Weigh the measures yourself · how ranks are made
Its peer group is Bakersfield and the 13 cities most like it in 2005 (size, income, poverty, industry, growth, density, place), fixed since: Stockton CA, Reno NV, Sacramento CA, Modesto CA, Raleigh NC, Wichita KS, Riverside CA, Aurora CO, Madison WI, Albuquerque NM, Lexington KY, Tulsa OK, Salt Lake City UT · on the map, and why
| Topline | 2005–2024 | Latest rank | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rankamong all cities with a score that year | #87 of 340 cities · 4th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | #74 | #47 | #86 | #249 | #117 | #78 | #166 | #179 | #177 | #112 | #127 | #159 | #173 | #180 | #159 | #226 | #110 | #123 | #87 | #185 | |
| people · size, not ranked | 301,094 | 313,113 | 323,658 | 333,036 | 341,135 | 348,987 | 353,221 | 357,312 | 362,834 | 366,954 | 371,348 | 374,699 | 377,940 | 381,714 | 384,145 | 405,220 | 409,542 | 412,996 | 414,626 | 417,468 | ||
| net movers per 100 residents · estimate · higher is better | #161 of 340 cities · 8th of 14 in its peer group | +1.5 | +1.3 | +0.6 | +0.1 | -0.2 | — | -0.3 | -0.5 | -0.2 | -0.3 | -0.3 | -0.5 | -0.2 | -0.0 | -0.0 | -0.4 | +0.2 | -0.2 | -0.9 | -0.2 | |
| new homes per 1,000 residents · higher is better | #135 of 303 cities with data · 4th of 11 in its peer group with data · 2022 | — | — | 6.6 | — | 3.4 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 3.9 | — | — | — | 3.8 | — | 2.9 | 3.8 | — | 2.8 | 4.3 | — | — | |
| rent as % of income · lower is better | #188 of 340 cities · 12th of 14 in its peer group | 19.4% | 19.0% | 20.2% | 21.2% | 20.9% | 19.9% | 21.7% | 22.1% | 21.0% | 20.0% | 19.3% | 20.6% | 22.7% | 21.6% | 21.3% | — | 21.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% | 25.0% | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #174 of 304 cities with data · 7th of 14 in its peer group | 10.6 | 7.7 | 4.6 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 9.5 | 5.1 | 9.5 | 6.6 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 8.5 | 10.8 | 8.1 | 8.9 | 10.9 | — | 9.2 | 7.0 | 6.7 | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #139 of 295 cities with data · 5th of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 54.0 | 49.6 | |
| jobs · size, not ranked | 114,789 | 122,436 | 123,339 | 122,851 | 120,268 | 119,878 | 122,951 | 126,663 | 130,188 | 129,389 | 131,267 | 132,067 | 136,605 | 139,691 | 141,130 | 133,873 | 132,844 | 143,975 | 149,009 | — | ||
| points ahead of the metro · higher is better | #35 of 329 cities with data · 1st of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | +0.8 | +3.8 | -1.7 | -3.1 | +0.9 | +1.5 | +0.2 | +1.9 | -3.3 | -3.6 | -0.3 | +1.2 | +2.6 | -0.2 | +0.0 | -0.7 | -0.8 | +1.4 | +3.3 | — | |
| people · size, not ranked | — | — | — | — | — | — | 145,214 | 147,740 | 147,340 | 155,251 | 164,169 | 161,519 | 156,101 | 166,626 | 163,320 | — | 173,796 | 177,084 | 181,232 | 185,511 | ||
| % of workforce · lower is better | #264 of 340 cities · 11th of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13.7% | 12.9% | 10.0% | 8.6% | 10.4% | 8.8% | 8.7% | 7.8% | 5.8% | — | 8.3% | 7.3% | 6.0% | 6.2% | |
| % of promises funded · not ranked: 38 cities report | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| surplus as % of revenue · higher is better | #132 of 314 cities with data · 9th of 14 in its peer group | 30% | 29% | 37% | 10% | 22% | 24% | 25% | 24% | 24% | 31% | 23% | 40% | 36% | 28% | 34% | 44% | 46% | 32% | 31% | 27% | |
| dollars per resident · lower is better | #14 of 314 cities with data · 1st of 14 in its peer group | $875 | $625 | $563 | $1,535 | $1,512 | $1,454 | $1,362 | $1,323 | $1,231 | $1,144 | $1,075 | $2,170 | $2,241 | $2,114 | $2,023 | $1,802 | $1,649 | $397 | $342 | $296 |
Click a row for its source and its rank in every year. 1st is best whichever way the measure points. A rank is out of all 340 cities, or out of its peer group of 14; where some had no value that year it says “with data” and counts only those. An em dash is a year the source does not hold for Bakersfield. A greyed homicide figure is a year the FBI holds as a transition year for this department. What each row is, and is not, is on the main page, with a link to every source in Sources.