Bakersfield Economy by the Numbers: Key Statistics Reveal Local Trends

Bakersfield posted a current-dollar GDP of $59.8 billion in 2023 for the Bakersfield-Delano metropolitan statistical area, according to records compiled by California State University Bakersfield. Real GDP rose 5.2 percent that year to $46.9 billion, outpacing the statewide growth rate of 2.0 percent over the same period.

GDP and jobs data

The metro area’s oil, agriculture and freight sectors continue to function as early indicators for Central Valley conditions. Nonfarm payroll employment reached 293,000 in mid-2024 after a 2.1 percent increase, even as the unemployment rate climbed to 8.3 percent in June 2024 from 6.5 percent the prior year. Those employment totals appear in data tracked by Builder Online and state labor reports.

Kern County’s economy expanded faster than the rest of California in 2023, driven by gains in energy and farm output. The Bakersfield-Delano MSA ranks first among California cities as an economic bellwether, with its three core industries supplying advance signals of broader state trends, per analysis from interactive-map-ai.com and KGET reporting.

Housing values and population counts

Typical home values stood near $398,000 as of July 2025, well below the California average of roughly $775,000. The local market is projected to rise 0.3 percent over the following twelve months, according to figures cited by BakersfieldNow and Boomtown Index.

Bakersfield recorded the highest population growth rate among California’s ten largest cities in a May 2024 California Department of Finance report. The metro population reached approximately 922,529 residents that year, listed in ProximityOne census-based estimates.

Local lenders and regional analysts continue to monitor these indicators for signs of further movement in payrolls, housing demand and output. Updated releases from the same state and federal sources will show whether the 2023-2024 patterns hold into the second half of the decade.