What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.5%).

Bakersfield has the most people working from home (14.2%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Cornish	Bakersfield
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,109Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.	46.4±8Lowest 19% above U.S.
	Cornish and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	13.6%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Cornish and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Cornish and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	39.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.5%±4.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kHighest 14% above U.S.	$83,462±$18kLowest 3% above U.S.
	Cornish and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kHighest 11% below U.S.	$271,300±$19kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Cornish and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Highest 14% below U.S.	$1,200±$327Lowest 15% below U.S.
	Cornish and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Highest 86% above U.S.	$3,823Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	18.8%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Cornish and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	94%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest same as U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.2%±7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bakersfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.