Bakersfield, CA Housing Market & City Data

Bakersfield has been home to my family, my business, and so many of the families I’ve had the privilege of helping over the years. What I love most about Bakersfield is that it still offers something that can be difficult to find in other parts of California: room to grow, a strong sense of community, and a wide variety of housing options. For home buyers relocating here, one of the biggest things to understand is that Bakersfield is a large and growing city, and every area can feel very different. You can find newer master-planned communities, established neighborhoods with mature trees, larger lots, luxury properties, new construction, and more affordable entry-level homes. Choosing the right neighborhood should really depend on your lifestyle, commute, schools, lot size, and the type of community you want to live in. Bakersfield now has more than 422,000 residents and remains one of California’s largest cities. One of Bakersfield’s biggest advantages is the amount of home you can often get compared with many of California’s larger coastal markets. As of August 2026, the median home sale price was around $420,000. There is also a tremendous amount of continued development and new construction, which gives buyers choices between resale homes and brand-new communities. Bakersfield is also very family-oriented. We have parks, sports, restaurants, local businesses, community events, churches, great neighborhoods, and plenty of opportunities to build relationships with people. It has grown tremendously, but in many ways it still has that smaller-community feeling where people know each other and referrals and relationships matter. Another benefit is convenience. You can generally get across town much faster than you could in Los Angeles or many other major California cities; Census data places the average commute at about 24 minutes. We’re also within driving distance of Los Angeles, the Central Coast, the mountains, and several great weekend destinations. There are cons buyers should know about too. Bakersfield summers are HOT, so good air conditioning, energy efficiency, shade, and even solar can make a meaningful difference. Air quality can also be an issue at certain times of the year. The city is very spread out, so having a vehicle is important for most people. And because Bakersfield has expanded so quickly, traffic, development, schools, shopping, and amenities can vary significantly depending on which side of town you choose. My biggest advice to someone moving here would be: don’t choose a home based only on the house. Learn the different areas of Bakersfield first. Think about where you’ll work, where your children may attend school, how much driving you want to do, whether you prefer established neighborhoods or new construction, and what you want your everyday lifestyle to look like. After more than a decade working in Bakersfield real estate, I’ve watched this city expand tremendously. Bakersfield may not be perfect, but it has given many families the opportunity to become homeowners, move up, build businesses, raise their families, and create a wonderful life here. That’s what makes it special to me.