Department of Numbers

Bakersfield, California Job Growth

There were 293,000 jobs in Bakersfield, California in May 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 366,141 employed persons for the month. Bakersfield added 1,200 jobs in May 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 478 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Bakersfield job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey May 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 293,000 +1,200 +6,600
CPS 366,141 -478 +3,355

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Bakersfield, California Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Bakersfield as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Bakersfield, California

CES employment for Bakersfield in May 2023 is at a new high of 293,000.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 367,326 for Bakersfield in November 2022. 1,185 jobs have been lost in Bakersfield since then according to the household survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through May 2023

Bakersfield, California Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
May 2023 293,000 1,200 366,141 -478
April 2023 291,800 1,400 366,619 46
March 2023 290,400 900 366,573 -77
February 2023 289,500 700 366,650 -110
January 2023 288,800 -1,200 366,760 -391
December 2022 290,000 800 367,151 -175
November 2022 289,200 900 367,326 186
October 2022 288,300 300 367,140 1,049
September 2022 288,000 400 366,091 1,420
August 2022 287,600 800 364,671 1,208
July 2022 286,800 -300 363,463 617
June 2022 287,100 700 362,846 60