Average Salaries in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Explore salaries across 479 occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $74.4K, +13.1% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 479 occupations and 329,040 total jobs in Bakersfield-Delano, CA.
How the metro compares
Bakersfield-Delano, CA pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Bakersfield-Delano, CA is a mid-sized metro labor market.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is First-Line Supervisors Of Firefighting And Prevention Workers. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors Of Firefighting And Prevention Workers | $632.2K | 340 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $332.5K | 190 |
| Psychiatrists | $300K | 70 |
| Pediatricians, General | $290.4K | 70 |
| Physicians, All Other | $269K | N/A |
| Physician Assistants | $198.1K | 350 |
| Chief Executives | $195.4K | 390 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $180K | 220 |
| Dentists, General | $172.1K | 220 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $165.6K | 430 |
Largest occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 32,500 | $34.6K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 17,270 | $34.3K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 9,180 | $39.5K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 8,440 | $46.9K |
| Cashiers | 8,350 | $35.2K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 7,050 | $57.7K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 6,190 | $39.1K |
| Retail Salespersons | 6,050 | $36.3K |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 6,040 | $38.9K |
| Registered Nurses | 5,620 | $128.8K |
What Bakersfield-Delano, CA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Bakersfield-Delano, CA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse | 56.27 | $34.6K |
| First-Line Supervisors Of Farming, Fishing, And Forestry Workers | 23.53 | $46.9K |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 18.95 | $34.3K |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil And Gas | 14.46 | $62.2K |
| Graders And Sorters, Agricultural Products | 13.07 | $35.3K |
| Helpers--Extraction Workers | 11.77 | $51.1K |
| Agricultural Equipment Operators | 11.30 | $36.9K |
| Farmers, Ranchers, And Other Agricultural Managers | 9.13 | $123.3K |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil And Gas | 6.89 | $75.7K |
| Computer And Information Research Scientists | 6.04 | $116.7K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Bakersfield-Delano, CA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.