What percentage of people rent in Bakersfield, CA?

Name: Renters and owners in Bakersfield, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

39.4% (±1.3 points) of the occupied homes in Bakersfield, CA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 51,104 renting households against 78,521 that own their home.

In Bakersfield, the share of households that rent went from 41.0% in 2015–2019 to 39.4% in 2020–2024 (−1.6 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 39.4% (±1.3 points)
Renting households: 51,104 (±1,795)
Median renter income: $50,825 (±$1,950)

Who rents and who owns in Bakersfield

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Bakersfield	Kern County	California	United States
Renter-occupied share	39.4% (±1.3 points)	39.9% (±0.8 points)	44.1% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	51,104 (±1,795)	113,798 (±2,337)	5,980,523 (±22,985)	45,017,354
Owning households	78,521 (±1,857)	171,133 (±2,447)	7,567,568 (±37,334)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.9 (±0.1)	3.1 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	3.3 (±0.1)	3.2 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$50,825 (±$1,950)	$46,101 (±$1,578)	$71,186 (±$298)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$103,120 (±$2,278)	$91,440 (±$1,757)	$127,456 (±$424)	$100,009

In Bakersfield, the renter share is not measurably different from Kern County (39.9%).

It is also lower than in California (44.1%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Kern County, Bakersfield ranks 31 of 49 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 422 of 1,076.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Bakersfield has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	41.0% (±1.0 points)	39.4% (±1.3 points)	−1.6 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,104 (±$21)	$1,472 (±$33)	+33.3%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$63,139 (±$995)	$80,540 (±$2,119)	+27.6%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Bakersfield

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Bakersfield
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Bakersfield	—	39.4% (±1.3 points)	—
Old Stine	0.6 mi	54.5% (±11.6 points)	Higher
Benton Park	0.7 mi	39.3% (±10.3 points)	Not measurably different
Casa Loma	2.3 mi	63.6% (±21.6 points)	Higher
Cottonwood (Kern County)	3.0 mi	83.5% (±8.3 points)	Higher
Rexland Acres	4.0 mi	37.7% (±13.4 points)	Not measurably different
La Cresta	4.1 mi	57.0% (±6.9 points)	Higher
East Bakersfield	4.1 mi	81.8% (±4.5 points)	Higher
Potomac Park	4.2 mi	62.5% (±6.6 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Old Stine, CA (54.5%), Casa Loma, CA (63.6%), Cottonwood (Kern County), CA (83.5%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Kern County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
25	Wasco	41.7% (±5.5 points)
26	Tehachapi	41.5% (±7.6 points)
27	East Niles	41.4% (±5.4 points)
28 (tie)	Ridgecrest	41.2% (±3.3 points)
28 (tie)	Lake Isabella	41.2% (±13.5 points)
30	Maricopa	39.7% (±11.3 points)
31	Bakersfield	39.4% (±1.3 points)
32	Benton Park	39.3% (±10.3 points)
33	Rexland Acres	37.7% (±13.4 points)
34	Delano	37.2% (±3.9 points)
35	Shafter	35.3% (±5.5 points)
36	Bodfish	34.8% (±15.3 points)
37	China Lake Acres	32.5% (±15.0 points)

Showing 13 of 49 places in Kern County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Bakersfield

How many renters are there in Bakersfield?

Bakersfield has an estimated 51,104 (±1,795) renting households, 39.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Bakersfield?

In Bakersfield, the share of households that rent went from 41.0% in 2015–2019 to 39.4% in 2020–2024 (−1.6 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Bakersfield?

A renting household in Bakersfield has 2.9 people on average, against 3.3 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Bakersfield?

The median renting household in Bakersfield, CA has an income of $50,825 (±$1,950) a year, against $103,120 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Bakersfield city, California (place:03526, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.