Accountants & Auditors salary in Bakersfield, CA
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Bakersfield, CA: $78,060/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $51,950 – $129,040 · about 1,730 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($74,290) by +$3,770 (+5%).
What it's really worth in Bakersfield
With Bakersfield's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $78,060 has the buying power of about $76,239 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $63,883 · median home $364,264 · median rent $1,788/mo.
How Bakersfield ranks for this job
On raw pay, Bakersfield, CA is 58th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Bakersfield's cost of living is applied, it ranks 106th.
The headline number flatters Bakersfield. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, accountants & auditors here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Bakersfield
A median home in Bakersfield, CA costs $364,264 — about 4.7× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,788/mo works out at 27% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Bakersfield.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Bakersfield | Rent vs Bakersfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +46% | 2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +33% | 1.8× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +33% | 2× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +25% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in CA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Bakersfield | Rent vs Bakersfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +46% | 2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +33% | 1.8× |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $93,650 | +20% | 1.5× |
| San Diego, CA | $89,120 | +14% | 1.7× |
Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Bakersfield
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.