Kern County · California
Bakersfield, CA demographics
Population, income and the local tax burden that sits on top of them — sourced from the Census Bureau and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
Quick answer
Bakersfield, CA has a population of 407,615 and a median household income of $73,813 — about $6,151 a month before tax. That ranks 35 of 94 covered metros by income and 47 of 94 by population.
Population
407,615
City limits, ACS 5-year
Median household income
$73,813
ACS 5-year estimate
Combined sales tax
8.25%
California + local
Income rank
#35
of 94 covered metros
Estimated annual sales tax on a median household
A Bakersfield household at the median income of $73,813 spending roughly a quarter of pre-tax income on taxable retail goods would pay about $1,522 a year in sales tax at 8.25%. This is an illustration, not a filing figure: the taxable share of spending varies with household composition, and California exempts or discounts several categories. Kern County levies no countywide district tax, so Bakersfield's premium is entirely its own Measure N public-safety tax.
Method: median household income × 25% taxable share × combined rate. The 25% share is a rough national benchmark from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not a Bakersfield-specific measurement.
Sources
What each figure on this page comes from.
- Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- Source: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration rate tables · rates as published for 2026