Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Across all occupations in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metropolitan area, the median wage is $47,470 a year ($22.82 an hour) and the mean $64,650, May 2025. That median is −7% against the US median of $50,980 and −18% against California's $58,240. BLS counts 338,230 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers; the largest is farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse.
All occupations: Bakersfield-Delano, CA vs California and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | Hourly | $16.50 | $17.35 | $22.82 | $36.46 | $56.26 | $31.08 | 338,230 |
| Annual | $34,320 | $36,080 | $47,470 | $75,850 | $117,020 | $64,650 | ||
| California | Hourly | $17.28 | $20.00 | $28.00 | $47.06 | $76.48 | $38.79 | 18,213,700 |
| Annual | $35,950 | $41,600 | $58,240 | $97,880 | $159,080 | $80,690 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
473 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: California. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $632,190 | $303.94 | 340 |
| 2 | Family Medicine Physicians | $332,530 | $159.87 | 190 |
| 3 | Psychiatrists | $299,990 | $144.23 | 70 |
| 4 | Pediatricians, General | $290,420 | $139.62 | 70 |
| 5 | Physicians, All Other | $269,000 | $129.33 | ** |
| 6 | Physician Assistants | $198,070 | $95.23 | 350 |
| 7 | Chief Executives | $195,400 | $93.94 | 390 |
| 8 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $179,980 | $86.53 | 220 |
| 9 | Dentists, General | $172,120 | $82.75 | 220 |
| 10 | Nurse Practitioners | $165,580 | $79.61 | 430 |
| 11 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in California | $164,470 | $79.07 | 430 |
| 12 | Pharmacists | $161,930 | $77.85 | 600 |
| 13 | Natural Sciences Managers | $156,270 | $75.13 | 60 |
| 14 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $154,410 | * | 800 |
| 15 | Financial Managers in California | $153,030 | $73.57 | 900 |
| 16 | Lawyers in California | $150,900 | $72.55 | 610 |
| 17 | Veterinarians | $150,780 | $72.49 | 100 |
| 18 | Marketing Managers | $149,960 | $72.10 | 240 |
| 19 | Petroleum Engineers | $147,440 | $70.89 | 160 |
| 20 | Managers, All Other in California | $145,690 | $70.04 | 800 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Most concentrated occupations in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 56.27 | 32,500 | 96.08 | $34,620 |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers | 23.53 | 1,430 | 4.23 | $46,910 |
| 3 | Agricultural Workers, All Other | 18.95 | 150 | 0.44 | $34,320 |
| 4 | Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas | 14.46 | 1,360 | 4.01 | $62,170 |
| 5 | Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 13.07 | 720 | 2.12 | $35,310 |
| 6 | Helpers--Extraction Workers | 11.77 | 170 | 0.51 | $51,060 |
| 7 | Agricultural Equipment Operators | 11.30 | 700 | 2.07 | $36,930 |
| 8 | Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers | 9.13 | 130 | 0.38 | $123,340 |
| 9 | Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | 6.89 | 190 | 0.56 | $75,660 |
| 10 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | 6.04 | 490 | 1.45 | $116,650 |
Occupation groups in Bakersfield-Delano, CA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $120,970 | $132,690 | 15,120 | 44.71 | 0.62 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $110,040 | $114,730 | 6,910 | 20.43 | 1.21 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $105,300 | $124,930 | 16,430 | 48.57 | 0.77 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $101,220 | $113,400 | 5,230 | 15.46 | 0.46 |
| Legal | $100,990 | $122,790 | 1,170 | 3.45 | 0.41 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $82,950 | $92,300 | 14,900 | 44.05 | 0.65 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $80,840 | $89,880 | 3,570 | 10.57 | 1.12 |
| Protective Service | $78,910 | $101,260 | 9,960 | 29.45 | 1.21 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $64,480 | $70,210 | 27,380 | 80.95 | 1.38 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $63,660 | $69,400 | 12,630 | 37.34 | 0.95 |
| Construction and Extraction | $62,790 | $71,640 | 14,780 | 43.69 | 1.06 |
| Community and Social Service | $60,040 | $68,480 | 8,290 | 24.51 | 1.43 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $56,450 | $68,890 | 2,320 | 6.86 | 0.52 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $48,880 | $53,510 | 29,410 | 86.94 | 0.76 |
| Production | $46,900 | $55,080 | 11,510 | 34.02 | 0.62 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $45,320 | $48,550 | 34,650 | 102.45 | 1.16 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $42,450 | $44,360 | 7,950 | 23.50 | 0.80 |
| Sales and Related | $38,240 | $48,870 | 23,560 | 69.67 | 0.81 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $38,160 | $41,180 | 26,570 | 78.57 | 0.89 |
| Personal Care and Service | $36,770 | $40,930 | 6,210 | 18.37 | 0.88 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $34,620 | $36,680 | 35,660 | 105.44 | 37.67 |
| Healthcare Support | $34,320 | $39,150 | 24,020 | 71.02 | 1.40 |
Every occupation in California, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 473 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Bakersfield-Delano, CA estimates (area 12540).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.