Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA

Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA)

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2024 Population

178,868

US Senator

Alex Padilla

Democratic Party

US Senator

Adam Schiff

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

11.9%

3.76% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$87,494

2.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$378,800

7.19% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

76,765

2.59% 1-year growth

About

44.1% of the households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

90.5% of the residents in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA are California State University-Bakersfield (2,564 degrees awarded in 2024) and San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield (470 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was $378,800, and the homeownership rate was 63.7%.

Most people in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was 2 cars per household.

Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA borders Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Northeast) PUMA, CA, Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southeast) PUMA, CA, Kern County (West)--Delano, Wasco & Shafter Cities PUMA, CA, and Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Northwest) & Rosedale PUMA, CA.

United States California

Population & Diversity

Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA is home to a population of 179k people, from which 90.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 20.6% of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA residents were born outside of the country (36.8k people).

In 2024, there were 1.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (47.9k people) in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 43.5k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 23.9k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary language in households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA are Spanish (53,183 households), Punjabi (6,841 households), and Tagalog (Incl. Filipino) (3,860 households).

Population & Diversity

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

91,179

Women

51%

87,709

Men

49%

The resident population of United States in 2024 was 178,888 inhabitants, with 49% men, and 51% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

Citizenship

90.5%

2024 Citizenship

90.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 90.5% of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was 90.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA

White (Non-Hispanic)
47.9k ± 3.03k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
43.5k ± 3.76k
Other (Hispanic)
23.9k ± 2.2k

51.4%

Hispanic Population

92k people

51.4% of the people in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA are hispanic (92k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Mexico
16,479 ± 3,003 people
India
5,389 ± 1,775 people
Philippines
3,936 ± 1,523 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was Mexico, the natal country of 16,479 Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA residents, followed by India with 5,389 and Philippines with 3,936.

Foreign-Born Population

20.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

36.8k people

20.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

35.7k people

As of 2024, 20.6% of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA residents (36.8k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was 20.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
53,183 households (32.1%)
Punjabi
6,841 households (4.12%)
Tagalog (Incl. Filipino)
3,860 households (2.33%)

44.1% of the households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is higher than the national average of 22.3%. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

In 2024, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was Spanish. 32.1% of the households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
1,873 ± 413
Vietnam
1,622 ± 299
Gulf War (1990s)
1,074 ± 327

Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.15 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA.

Health

92.7% of the population of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA has health coverage, with 44.7% on employee plans, 28% on Medicaid, 8.36% on Medicare, 10.7% on non-group plans, and 1.02% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in California see 1,233 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1076 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 213 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

1,233 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in California

Primary care physicians in California see an average of 1,233 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,233 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in California in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.3% under 18 years, 24.5% between 18 and 34 years, 34.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 11.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.29%

Uninsured

44.7%

Employer Coverage

28%

Medicaid

8.36%

Medicare

10.7%

Non-Group

1.02%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA declined by 0.737% from 7.34% to 7.29%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA employs 76.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA were Elementary & secondary schools (7,040 people), Restaurants & Food Services (6,189 people), and Construction (4,087 people), and the highest paying industries were Broadcasting & content providers ($222,488), Computer Systems Design ($189,350), and Petroleum refining ($185,733).

Males in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA have an average income that is 1.44 times higher than the average income of females, which is $58,934. The income inequality in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA (measured using the Gini index) is 0.466, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

37,192

Women

48.4%

39,573

Men

51.6%

The workforce of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA in 2024 was 76,765 people, with 48.4% woman, and 51.6% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

Occupations

76.8k

2024 Value

2.59%

1 Year growth

± 2.59%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA grew at a rate of 2.59%, from 74.8k employees to 76.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA, are Driver/sales workers & truck drivers (3,569 people), Cashiers (2,061 people), and Elementary & middle school teachers (1,849 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in California (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

76.8k

2024 Value

2.59%

1 Year growth

± 2.59%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA grew at a rate of 2.59%, from 74.8k employees to 76.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA, are Elementary & secondary schools (7,040 people), Restaurants & Food Services (6,189 people), and Construction (4,087 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA, though some of these residents may live in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,215

Median earning men ± $3,882

$37,079

Median earning women ± $1,719

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($93,313), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($72,652), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($69,333).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($73,333), Information ($70,101), and Public Administration ($49,509).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 17.9M people employed in California. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in California.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing the state of California. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

California is currently represented by 51 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA. Showing the available data for California.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (58.5%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (38.3%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.25%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in California went to Kamala Harris with 58.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (38.3%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.25%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in California for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from California

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for California.

Alex Padilla

Senator from California

Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Kamala Harris, who had become Vice President of the United States.

Adam Schiff

Senator from California

Assumed office on December 8, 2024
Elected to the seat to succeed Laphonza Butler, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of Dianne Feinstein.

Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are the senators currently representing California.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in California over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA awarded 3,034 degrees. The student population of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 3,821 male students and 7,396 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA are Hispanic or Latino (2,038 and 67.8%), White (449 and 14.9%), Asian (191 and 6.36%), and Black or African American (120 and 3.99%).

The largest universities in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA by number of degrees awarded are California State University-Bakersfield (2,564 and 84.5%) and San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield (470 and 15.5%).

The most popular majors in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA are General Business Administration & Management (338 and 11.1%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (328 and 10.8%), and General Psychology (302 and 9.95%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $6,084 for in-state students and $18,684 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 93.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 11,217 (34.1% men and 65.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 11,217 students enrolled in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA, 34.1% men and 65.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 7,635 records, of which 68.2% were women and 31.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
328 degrees awarded
General Psychology
302 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
275 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 328 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

California State University-Bakersfield
2,564 degrees awarded
San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield
470 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was California State University-Bakersfield with 2,564 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 899 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA, which is 0.421 times less than the 2,135 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 2,038 degrees mean that there were 4.54 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 449 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($6,084) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,003) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,068) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2024, 1.55% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.93% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA in 2024 were High School or Equivalent (36.9k), Some college (32.3k), and Primary Education (24.6k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was $378,800 in 2024, which is 1.14 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $353,400 to $378,800, a 7.19% increase. The homeownership rate in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA is 63.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA have an average commute time of 23.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$378,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$4,741

$35,905

Median Property Taxes

±$1,603

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

63.7%

Homeownership

2024

69.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.7% of the housing units in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 63.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$87,494

Median Household Income

± $2,962

56.4k

Number of Households

± 2,108

In 2024, the median household income of the 56.4k households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA grew to $87,494 from the previous year's value of $85,275.

The following chart displays the households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA

0.472

2023 Wage GINI in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA

In 2024, the income inequality in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.23% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.1%)
Carpooled (9.63%)
Worked At Home (8.61%)

In 2024, 79.1% of workers in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.63%) and those who worked at home (8.61%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA have a shorter commute time (23.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.16% of the workforce in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA (21.1k out of 177k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kern County (Central)--Bakersfield City (Southwest) PUMA, CA is Hispanic, followed by Two Or More and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.