Austin, TX vs Bakersfield, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Austin

68.3

#1322 nationally

Bakersfield

66.5

#1531 nationally

Austin leads in median household income ($91,461 vs $73,827). Bakersfield leads in average commute (23.6 min vs 26.8 min). Austin leads in walk score (42 vs 37).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Bakersfield, CA
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	66.5 (#1531)
Population	967,862	413,381
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$391,030
Median Household Income	$91,461	$73,827
Average Commute	26.8 min	23.6 min
Walk Score	42	37
Crime Level	Moderate	15.2
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	123
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	R+21.1