Population
Bakersfield
408,366
Modesto
218,614
Median Income
Bakersfield
$77,397
Modesto
$77,899
Home Value
Bakersfield
$347,300
Modesto
$415,600
Rent
Bakersfield
$1,371
Modesto
$1,609
Crime Rate
Bakersfield
5.56
Modesto
6.56
Cost of Living
Bakersfield
131.1
Modesto
139.7
Avg Temp
Bakersfield
66°F
Modesto
N/A
Unemployment
Bakersfield
7.0%
Modesto
7.3%
How Similar Are Bakersfield & Modesto?
Modesto is Bakersfield's #1 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Bakersfield
408,366
Modesto
218,614
Bakersfield has a 46% larger population than Modesto.
Violent Crime
Bakersfield
5.56
Modesto
6.56
Modesto has a 15% higher violent crime than Bakersfield.
Property Crime
Bakersfield
24.70
Modesto
24.15
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Bakersfield
59.3%
Modesto
54.2%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 9% difference.
Unemployment
Bakersfield
7.0%
Modesto
7.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Bakersfield
$77,397
Modesto
$77,899
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Bakersfield
$347,300
Modesto
$415,600
Modesto has a 16% higher home values than Bakersfield.
Education
Bakersfield
14.1%
Modesto
13.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
Bakersfield
46.9%
Modesto
50.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.
Cost of Living
Bakersfield
131.1
Modesto
139.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Bakersfield and Modesto are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Bakersfield
0
Modesto
Modesto leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bakersfield leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBakersfield has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,140 vs $1,356 in Modesto (16% lower). Bakersfield has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,483 vs $1,758 in Modesto (16% lower). Bakersfield scores 162.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 184.4 in Modesto.
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 — Modesto leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSModesto has a median property tax of $2,727 vs $3,468 in Bakersfield (27% lower). Modesto has a median home value of $415,600 vs $347,300 in Bakersfield (16% higher). Bakersfield has a median rent of $1,371 vs $1,609 in Modesto (15% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Modesto leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBakersfield: 188,139 vs Modesto: 103,220 for labor force. Modesto has a poverty rate of 13.0% compared to 16.0% in Bakersfield. Modesto has a per capita income of $34,656 vs $32,956 in Bakersfield (5% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Modesto leads
Source: FBI UCRModesto has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.07 in Bakersfield. Modesto has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.67 compared to 5.38 in Bakersfield. Bakersfield has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 12.59 compared to 18.19 in Modesto.
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
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauModesto has a high school diploma or higher of 32.3% compared to 29.7% in Bakersfield. Bakersfield has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.1% compared to 13.3% in Modesto.
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 ACSBakersfield has a population of 408,366, about 1.9x the size of Modesto (218,614). Bakersfield skews younger with a median age of 31.9 vs 35.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Bakersfield
Modesto
Healthcare — Modesto leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareModesto: 4 vs Bakersfield: 3 for with emergency services. Modesto: 2.3 vs Bakersfield: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Modesto leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSModesto has a bicycle of 0.8% compared to 0.1% in Bakersfield. Modesto has a public transit of 1.1% compared to 0.6% in Bakersfield. Bakersfield has a drive alone of 80.4% compared to 76.6% in Modesto.
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.