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La Cresta vs Bakersfield

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (49.1× in Bakersfield) and jobs per worker (8.3× in Bakersfield).

L ×
La Cresta, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 8,389 people
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Bakersfield, CAHometown of 69 notable peopleCalifornia · 411,986 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $770 more a month in Bakersfield

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

La Cresta$1,580/mo
Typical home $262K (Census) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $1,177/mo · Housing →
Bakersfield$2,350/mo
Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.97% · or rent about $1,472/mo · Housing →

The difference: $770 a month, about $9,300 a year, between Bakersfield and La Cresta.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Bakersfield places higher on 11 of 18 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

La Cresta and Bakersfield share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

La CrestaBakersfieldLa CrestaBakersfield
La Cresta ↔ Bakersfield4.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,174 La Cresta residents work in Bakersfield (42.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in La Cresta →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
La CrestaBakersfield
Snow a year0″0″
January low41°F41°F
July high98°F98°F
Growing season (days)334d334d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th65th
Outdoors & history
La CrestaBakersfield
Conserved land0.3%6.4%
Settled—1869
National Register places—6
Archive photos—18
Famous people born here—69
Community
La CrestaBakersfield
Library hours a week—36 hrs
Colleges in town—2
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

La CrestaBakersfield
People
Population 8,389Lowest 411,986Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +16.1% CA: +6.1%
Median age 29.1±3.8Lowest 23% below CA 32.1±0.4Highest 15% below CA
Bakersfield and La Cresta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.2%±4.1Highest CA: 22% 29.2%±0.6Lowest CA: 22%
La Cresta and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.5%±2.9Highest CA: 15.7% 11.3%±0.4Lowest CA: 15.7%
La Cresta and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.3%Lowest CA: 37.1% 23.6%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.9%±2.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.8%±0.4Highest CA: 7.6%
Bakersfield and La Cresta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $49,605±$10kLowest 50% below CA $80,540±$2kHighest 19% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $262,000±$34kLowest 64% below CA $371,700±$3kHighest 49% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,177±$61Lowest 42% below CA $1,472±$33Highest 28% below CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,445Lowest 52% below CA $3,619Highest 29% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 65.8%±11.3Highest CA: 55.3% 56.8%±2.1Lowest CA: 55.3%
La Cresta and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20.3%Highest CA: 12% 16.3%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 43%Lowest CA: 55.9% 60.6%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1962Lowest 14 yrs older than CA 1990Highest 14 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 22% below CA 24 minHighest 18% below CA
Work from home 3.8%±1.9Lowest CA: 17.2% 8.2%±0.7Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 1.1%Lowest 47.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.3 mi 7.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.11Lowest 0.91Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Bakersfield (42%)Los Angeles (3%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 42% work in BakersfieldFew work in La Cresta
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Lowest 6.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 104.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 80Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 172Highest 68.6Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#242 of 574 in CA
School district —Kern High ROC · Bakersfield City
High school in town —Bakersfield High
Students per teacherat that high school — 25.6
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

La Cresta neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

La Cresta Home Prices

1 neighbor in La Cresta can answer.

Bakersfield neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bakersfield’s Town Square.

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Bordering La Cresta

Towns like La Cresta

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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