Bakersfield-Delano migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 23,611 people moved into the Bakersfield metro and 25,051 moved out, a net of −1,440. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Los Angeles, CA leads both directions, with 8,607 people in and 4,322 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 69–78% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net flow has reversed from gain to loss over the last three years, from +1,586 in 2020–21 to −1,440 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
927,068
▲ 0.3% year over year · growing
Peak population
927,068
highest in the series shown (since 2000)
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: the population grew in 2025 even after losing 2,628 people to domestic migration. International migration (+628) and births minus deaths (+4,322) more than made up for it.
- Peak population: the 2025 estimate of 927,068 is the highest on record, in data going back to 2000.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$170M
▼ $675M arrived · $845M left
Avg household income · movers
$55k in · $62k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 13%
Bakersfield wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Bakersfield metro in 2022–23 reported $675M in income (AGI). Households leaving took $845M with them, a net loss of $170M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $55k of income, vs $62k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 13%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 78% of inbound and 69% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
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