Population
Bakersfield
408,366
Salem
176,666
Median Income
Bakersfield
$77,397
Salem
$71,900
Home Value
Bakersfield
$347,300
Salem
$382,400
Rent
Bakersfield
$1,371
Salem
$1,323
Crime Rate
Bakersfield
5.56
Salem
5.34
Cost of Living
Bakersfield
131.1
Salem
129.4
Avg Temp
Bakersfield
66°F
Salem
N/A
Unemployment
Bakersfield
7.0%
Salem
5.3%
How Similar Are Bakersfield & Salem?
Salem is Bakersfield's #8 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Bakersfield
408,366
Salem
176,666
Bakersfield (408,366) is about 2.3x larger than Salem (176,666).
Violent Crime
Bakersfield
5.56
Salem
5.34
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Bakersfield
24.70
Salem
28.03
Salem has a 12% higher property crime than Bakersfield.
Political Leaning
Bakersfield
59.3%
Salem
49.5%
Bakersfield leans Republican while Salem leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Bakersfield
7.0%
Salem
5.3%
Bakersfield has a 24% higher unemployment than Salem.
Median Income
Bakersfield
$77,397
Salem
$71,900
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Bakersfield
$347,300
Salem
$382,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Bakersfield
14.1%
Salem
21.0%
Salem has a 33% higher education than Bakersfield.
Demographics
Bakersfield
46.9%
Salem
69.8%
Salem has a 33% higher demographics than Bakersfield.
Cost of Living
Bakersfield
131.1
Salem
129.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Bakersfield and Salem share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Bakersfield
0
Salem
Salem leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Salem leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSalem scores 109.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 118.3 in Bakersfield. Bakersfield has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,140 vs $1,201 in Salem (5% lower). Bakersfield has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,483 vs $1,560 in Salem (5% lower).
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 ACSBakersfield has a single-family homes of 74.8% compared to 62.3% in Salem. Bakersfield has a median property tax of $3,468 vs $3,936 in Salem (12% lower). Salem has a vacancy rate of 4.2% compared to 4.7% in Bakersfield.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBakersfield: 188,139 vs Salem: 86,525 for labor force. Salem has a work from home of 14.0% compared to 7.2% in Bakersfield. Salem has a unemployment rate of 5.3% 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 — Salem leads
Source: FBI UCRSalem has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.07 in Bakersfield. Salem has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.89 compared to 1.26 in Bakersfield. Bakersfield has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 12.59 compared to 19.66 in Salem.
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 — Salem leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSalem has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.0% compared to 14.1% in Bakersfield. Salem has a high school diploma or higher of 36.0% 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 ACSBakersfield has a population of 408,366, about 2.3x the size of Salem (176,666). Bakersfield skews younger with a median age of 31.9 vs 35.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Bakersfield
Salem
Healthcare — Salem leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSalem: 4 vs Bakersfield: 3 for with emergency services. Salem: 2.5 vs Bakersfield: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Salem leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSalem has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.1% in Bakersfield. Salem has a public transit of 1.8% compared to 0.6% in Bakersfield. Salem has a work from home of 14.0% compared to 7.2% 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.