Chemists Salary — Bakersfield, California

The average Chemists in Bakersfield, California earns $105,620 a year.

$105,620 / year, mean
↑ 3.7% above national average 90th percentile in California

Bakersfield pays well above most of California for this role, landing in the top third statewide. That's close to the national average for chemists — a fairly typical rate for this role. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within California

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
190
Estimate confidence
RSE 2.9%
Cost of living 101 #49 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2124 #140 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $364,264 #72 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $67,660 #121 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Bakersfield ranks #49 for cost of living and #72 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

Bay City $139,910 Lexington Park $132,480 San Francisco $130,870 Midland $129,190 Crestview $123,880 Albany $122,210 Baltimore $121,890 San Jose $121,350 Midland $120,450 Houston $118,290 Palm Bay $118,150 Peoria $116,760 Atlantic City $111,320 Evansville $111,000 Longview $107,820 Eugene $107,360 Bremerton $106,460 Beaumont $106,180 Olympia $105,790 Bakersfield $105,620 Salinas $104,930 Scranton $104,540 Pensacola $104,450 Kalamazoo $103,630 Philadelphia $103,090 Portland $103,080 Seattle $102,470 Blacksburg $102,100 State College $101,480 San Diego $101,250 Corpus Christi $100,890 Detroit $100,840 Bend $100,790 Napa $100,740 Chicago $100,450 Santa Rosa $100,440 Charlottesville $100,090 Muskegon $99,940 San Antonio $99,720 Trenton $99,340 Los Angeles $99,150 Gainesville $98,440 Corvallis $98,260 Rochester $97,950 New York $97,940 Santa Cruz $97,460 York $96,910 Syracuse $96,580 Richmond $96,510 Sarasota $95,660 Santa Maria $95,140 Deltona $95,130 Allentown $94,850 Jacksonville $94,770 Sacramento $94,510 Dallas $94,390 Buffalo $94,240 Reading $94,050 Ithaca $93,780 Kiryas Joel $93,700 Lakeland $93,460 Riverside $92,540 Vallejo $92,020 Oxnard $91,840 San Luis Obispo $91,820 Miami $91,370 Stockton $91,350 Bowling Green $90,450 Hagerstown $90,020 Morgantown $89,880 Louisville $89,860 Roanoke $89,840 Grand Rapids $89,540 Visalia $89,540 Charleston $88,900 Virginia Beach $88,810 Austin $88,660 Indianapolis $88,560 Elkhart $88,160 Modesto $87,650 Springfield $86,300 Pittsburgh $86,060 Spokane $85,730 Mount Vernon $85,560 Dover $85,320 Terre Haute $85,010 Bellingham $83,870 Fort Wayne $82,980 Ann Arbor $82,970 El Paso $82,940 Bloomington $82,810 Tampa $80,810 Orlando $80,540 South Bend $80,280 Huntington $80,200 Champaign $80,050 Fresno $79,770 Yakima $79,530 Lubbock $78,820 College Station $77,880 Harrisburg $77,740 Lexington $74,890 Lynchburg $74,510 Lafayette $73,960 Waco $69,780 Lansing $69,470 Tallahassee $61,430 Johnstown $61,200
CityMean salaryvs. Bakersfield
Albany, New York$122,210+15.7%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$94,850-10.2%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$82,970-21.4%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$111,320+5.4%
Austin, Texas$88,660-16.1%
Baltimore, Maryland$121,890+15.4%
Bay City, Michigan$139,910+32.5%
Beaumont, Texas$106,180+0.5%
Bellingham, Washington$83,870-20.6%
Bend, Oregon$100,790-4.6%
Blacksburg, Virginia$102,100-3.3%
Bloomington, Indiana$82,810-21.6%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$90,450-14.4%
Bremerton, Washington$106,460+0.8%
Buffalo, New York$94,240-10.8%
Champaign, Illinois$80,050-24.2%
Charleston, West Virginia$88,900-15.8%
Charlottesville, Virginia$100,090-5.2%
Chicago, Illinois$100,450-4.9%
College Station, Texas$77,880-26.3%
Corpus Christi, Texas$100,890-4.5%
Corvallis, Oregon$98,260-7.0%
Crestview, Florida$123,880+17.3%
Dallas, Texas$94,390-10.6%
Deltona, Florida$95,130-9.9%
Detroit, Michigan$100,840-4.5%
Dover, Delaware$85,320-19.2%
Elkhart, Indiana$88,160-16.5%
El Paso, Texas$82,940-21.5%
Eugene, Oregon$107,360+1.6%
Evansville, Indiana$111,000+5.1%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$82,980-21.4%
Fresno, California$79,770-24.5%
Gainesville, Florida$98,440-6.8%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$89,540-15.2%
Hagerstown, Maryland$90,020-14.8%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$77,740-26.4%
Houston, Texas$118,290+12.0%
Huntington, West Virginia$80,200-24.1%
Indianapolis, Indiana$88,560-16.2%
Ithaca, New York$93,780-11.2%
Jacksonville, Florida$94,770-10.3%
Johnstown, Pennsylvania$61,200-42.1%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$103,630-1.9%
Kiryas Joel, New York$93,700-11.3%
Lafayette, Indiana$73,960-30.0%
Lakeland, Florida$93,460-11.5%
Lansing, Michigan$69,470-34.2%
Lexington, Kentucky$74,890-29.1%
Lexington Park, Maryland$132,480+25.4%
Longview, Texas$107,820+2.1%
Los Angeles, California$99,150-6.1%
Louisville, Kentucky$89,860-14.9%
Lubbock, Texas$78,820-25.4%
Lynchburg, Virginia$74,510-29.5%
Miami, Florida$91,370-13.5%
Midland, Michigan$120,450+14.0%
Midland, Texas$129,190+22.3%
Modesto, California$87,650-17.0%
Morgantown, West Virginia$89,880-14.9%
Mount Vernon, Washington$85,560-19.0%
Muskegon, Michigan$99,940-5.4%
Napa, California$100,740-4.6%
New York, New York$97,940-7.3%
Sarasota, Florida$95,660-9.4%
Olympia, Washington$105,790+0.2%
Orlando, Florida$80,540-23.7%
Oxnard, California$91,840-13.0%
Palm Bay, Florida$118,150+11.9%
Pensacola, Florida$104,450-1.1%
Peoria, Illinois$116,760+10.5%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$103,090-2.4%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$86,060-18.5%
Portland, Oregon$103,080-2.4%
Reading, Pennsylvania$94,050-11.0%
Richmond, Virginia$96,510-8.6%
Riverside, California$92,540-12.4%
Roanoke, Virginia$89,840-14.9%
Rochester, New York$97,950-7.3%
Sacramento, California$94,510-10.5%
Salinas, California$104,930-0.7%
San Antonio, Texas$99,720-5.6%
San Diego, California$101,250-4.1%
San Francisco, California$130,870+23.9%
San Jose, California$121,350+14.9%
San Luis Obispo, California$91,820-13.1%
Santa Cruz, California$97,460-7.7%
Santa Maria, California$95,140-9.9%
Santa Rosa, California$100,440-4.9%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$104,540-1.0%
Seattle, Washington$102,470-3.0%
South Bend, Indiana$80,280-24.0%
Spokane, Washington$85,730-18.8%
Springfield, Illinois$86,300-18.3%
State College, Pennsylvania$101,480-3.9%
Stockton, California$91,350-13.5%
Syracuse, New York$96,580-8.6%
Tallahassee, Florida$61,430-41.8%
Tampa, Florida$80,810-23.5%
Terre Haute, Indiana$85,010-19.5%
Trenton, New Jersey$99,340-5.9%
Vallejo, California$92,020-12.9%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$88,810-15.9%
Visalia, California$89,540-15.2%
Waco, Texas$69,780-33.9%
Yakima, Washington$79,530-24.7%
York, Pennsylvania$96,910-8.2%
Gross salary
105,620/yr
Estimated take-home
77,403/yr
Est. total withheld
26.7%

Single filer, federal + California state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Chemists salaries in California → All Chemists salaries →
Community reality check

Community reality check for Bakersfield

These notes add local color around Bakersfield, California: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.

Relocation gap2.0× calculator gap
City comparison anecdotal

Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.

2.0×calculator multiplier10%HCOL premium cited$200KAtlanta TC example$450KBay Area TC example

Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 19-2031 SOC code
Official area Bakersfield-Delano, CA BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 12540 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ca_ftb_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
Delano
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: California

Population (metro area)
910,433