Bakersfield’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Bakersfield.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in California thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Bakersfield. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Bakersfield neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Bakersfield hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 39 of Bakersfield’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$21,977 median income
$23,223 median income
$36,108 median income
$27,125 median income
$35,440 median income
$24,811 median income
$24,460 median income
$51,107 median income
$45,384 median income
$34,096 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
California statewide median: $774,582
California statewide median: $99,122
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Bakersfield neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Bakersfield:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Bakersfield, California for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Bakersfield.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 39 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Bakersfield for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homaker Park | 6,372 | $89,250 | $21,977 |
| 2 | Downtown | 2,187 | $165,400 | $23,223 |
| 3 | Rexland Acres | 5,739 | $90,500 | $36,108 |
| 4 | East Bakersfield | 6,712 | $119,600 | $27,125 |
| 5 | Lakeview | 9,871 | $131,229 | $35,440 |
| 6 | Casa Loma | 2,455 | $107,800 | $24,811 |
| 7 | College Heights-Baker Street | 7,703 | $66,500 | $24,460 |
| 8 | La Cresta-Altavista | 5,286 | $163,760 | $51,107 |
| 10 | Benton Park | 9,020 | $155,000 | $45,384 |
| 10 | Southgate | 8,146 | $133,317 | $34,096 |
| 10 | Tyner Homes | 4,430 | $205,900 | $51,074 |
| 12 | Stockdale Greens | 2,312 | $216,950 | $59,928 |
| 13 | Castle Ranch | 2,903 | $113,500 | $54,089 |
| 14 | Quailwood | 2,317 | $226,900 | $64,169 |
| 15 | Oleander Sunset | 14,490 | $172,633 | $45,981 |
| 16 | Park Stockdale | 6,782 | $197,571 | $54,275 |
| 17 | Spice Tract | 8,281 | $192,700 | $53,747 |
| 18 | Hillcrest | 6,222 | $156,860 | $49,091 |
| 19 | Riviera-Westchester | 3,984 | $235,340 | $55,646 |
| 20 | Sagepointe | 3,323 | $217,367 | $46,925 |
| 20 | Csu Bakersfield | 2,266 | $248,100 | $89,569 |
| 22 | Bakersfield Country Club | 6,400 | $217,700 | $74,729 |
| 23 | Amberton | 1,047 | $237,400 | $96,510 |
| 24 | The Seasons | 5,870 | $235,550 | $79,906 |
| 25 | Silver Creek | 7,430 | $240,500 | $80,548 |
| 26 | Laurelglen | 8,949 | $264,300 | $76,193 |
| 27 | Eastridge Estates | 309 | $280,600 | $76,362 |
| 28 | Rio Bravo | 13,276 | $237,217 | $78,704 |
| 29 | The Oaks | 4,384 | $272,950 | $96,080 |
| 30 | Haggin Oaks | 3,023 | $225,700 | $93,404 |
| 31 | Tevis Ranch | 3,776 | $277,450 | $99,613 |
| 32 | Stonegate | 4,785 | $358,800 | $88,681 |
| 33 | Stone Meadows | 7,064 | $269,567 | $95,285 |
| 34 | Ridgeview Estates | 2,355 | $223,100 | $60,975 |
| 35 | Seven Oaks | 7,189 | $398,100 | $147,447 |
| 36 | Stockdale Estates | 2,438 | $374,700 | $126,104 |
| 37 | Terra Vista | 3,585 | $333,500 | $95,003 |
| 38 | Southern Oaks | 2,611 | $266,950 | $107,873 |
| 39 | Artisan | 4,098 | $333,500 | $87,700 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 39 Bakersfield neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Bakersfield
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Bakersfield with Homaker Park landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Bakersfield are Homaker Park, Downtown, Rexland Acres, East Bakersfield, Lakeview, Casa Loma, College Heights-Baker Street, La Cresta-Altavista, Benton Park, and Southgate.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Bakersfield aren’t all bad. Artisan takes the cake as the best place to live in Bakersfield.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below. Not sold on California? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Neighborhoods In Bakersfield FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Bakersfield?
Homaker Park ranks as the worst neighborhood in Bakersfield for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Downtown and Rexland Acres are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Bakersfield?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Bakersfield are Homaker Park, Downtown, Rexland Acres, East Bakersfield, Lakeview, Casa Loma, College Heights-Baker Street, La Cresta-Altavista, Benton Park, and Southgate. We scored all 39 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Homaker Park rank as the worst?
Homaker Park posts the roughest combined numbers in Bakersfield: a median household income of $21,977 and a median home value of $89,250, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
