Bakersfield vs Palmdale
The short version
- Bakersfield is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 11% lower than in the Palmdale area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $371,700 in Bakersfield and $471,000 in Palmdale.
- Bakersfield is growing faster: +4.4% since 2020 vs -4.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Bakersfield (24 vs 40 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Bakersfield, CA | Palmdale, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 422,165 | 161,845 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.4% | -4.5% |
| People per square mile | 2,809 | 1,526 |
| Median age | 32.1 | 33.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24% | 17% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,540 | $81,770 |
| Median home value | $371,700 | $471,000 |
| Home value to income | 4.6× | 5.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,472 | $1,802 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.9 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 90.3 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 66% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.6 | 39.9 |
| Work from home | 8% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7% | 8.3% |
| Poverty rate | 16.3% | 15.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 41° | 60° / 35° |
| July high / low | 98° / 71° | 98° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 6 in | 7 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 112 | 118 |
| Nights below freezing | 10 | 38 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.9 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.8% | +31.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bakersfield: February to May and October to November. Palmdale: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Bakersfield weather by month and Palmdale weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Bakersfield and $85,200 in Palmdale. Moving from Bakersfield to Palmdale, you would need about $84,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bakersfield and Palmdale
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bakersfield and Palmdale.
Which would you pick?
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