Population
Bakersfield
408,366
Mesa
507,478
Median Income
Bakersfield
$77,397
Mesa
$78,779
Home Value
Bakersfield
$347,300
Mesa
$364,300
Rent
Bakersfield
$1,371
Mesa
$1,478
Crime Rate
Bakersfield
5.56
Mesa
4.83
Cost of Living
Bakersfield
131.1
Mesa
129.4
Avg Temp
Bakersfield
66°F
Mesa
73°F
Unemployment
Bakersfield
7.0%
Mesa
4.6%
How Similar Are Bakersfield & Mesa?
Mesa is Bakersfield's #15 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Bakersfield
408,366
Mesa
507,478
Mesa has a 20% larger population than Bakersfield.
Violent Crime
Bakersfield
5.56
Mesa
4.83
Bakersfield has a 13% higher violent crime than Mesa.
Property Crime
Bakersfield
24.70
Mesa
14.65
Bakersfield has a 41% higher property crime than Mesa.
Political Leaning
Bakersfield
59.3%
Mesa
51.2%
Both cities lean Republican, but Bakersfield has a stronger Republican lean (14% difference).
Unemployment
Bakersfield
7.0%
Mesa
4.6%
Bakersfield has a 34% higher unemployment than Mesa.
Median Income
Bakersfield
$77,397
Mesa
$78,779
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Bakersfield
$347,300
Mesa
$364,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Bakersfield
14.1%
Mesa
21.5%
Mesa has a 34% higher education than Bakersfield.
Demographics
Bakersfield
46.9%
Mesa
69.7%
Mesa has a 33% higher demographics than Bakersfield.
Cost of Living
Bakersfield
131.1
Mesa
129.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Bakersfield and Mesa differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Bakersfield
0
Mesa
Mesa leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBakersfield has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,140 vs $1,583 in Mesa (28% lower). Bakersfield has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,483 vs $1,839 in Mesa (19% lower). Mesa scores 104.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 118.3 in Bakersfield.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMesa has a median property tax of $1,549 vs $3,468 in Bakersfield (124% lower). Bakersfield has a vacancy rate of 4.7% compared to 11.3% in Mesa. Bakersfield has a single-family homes of 74.8% compared to 61.1% in Mesa.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMesa has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 7.2% in Bakersfield. Mesa has a poverty rate of 10.5% compared to 16.0% in Bakersfield. Mesa has a unemployment rate of 4.6% compared to 7.0% in Bakersfield.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Mesa leads
Source: FBI UCRMesa has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.88 compared to 5.38 in Bakersfield. Mesa has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.50 compared to 1.26 in Bakersfield. Mesa has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.07 in Bakersfield.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate — Mesa leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoMesa has a avg humidity of 35.8% compared to 53.1% in Bakersfield. Mesa averages 73°F, about 7°F cooler than Bakersfield. Mesa averages 85°F, about 8°F cooler than Bakersfield.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Mesa leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMesa has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.5% compared to 14.1% in Bakersfield. Mesa has a high school diploma or higher of 37.8% compared to 29.7% in Bakersfield.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMesa has a population of 507,478, about 1.2x the size of Bakersfield (408,366). Bakersfield skews younger with a median age of 31.9 vs 37.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Bakersfield
Mesa
Healthcare — Mesa leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareMesa: 2.8 vs Bakersfield: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Mesa leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMesa has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.1% in Bakersfield. Mesa has a work from home of 16.9% compared to 7.2% in Bakersfield. Mesa has a public transit of 0.9% compared to 0.6% in Bakersfield.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Bakersfield, CA
Compare Bakersfield against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.