Bakersfield housing market in numbers
| City of Bakersfield, Redfin, 3 months to Sept 2026 | Figure | Change in a year |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $419,800 | +1.2% |
| Median price per square foot | $234 | +0.5% |
| Homes sold | 887 | -6.6% |
| New listings | 1,116 | -9.1% |
| Homes for sale (inventory) | 927 | -1.5% |
| Months of supply | 3.2 | |
| Median days on market | 39 | |
| Average sale-to-list price | 99.1% | |
| Sold above list price | 26.4% | |
| Went under contract within two weeks | 32.6% |
Zillow tracks a different measure. Its typical home value for Bakersfield was $385,686 in September 2026, within 0.1% of a year earlier and $2,583 below the city's February 2025 high of $388,269. Over five years the figure is up 22.1%, and over ten years it is up 78.9%. Zillow's observed rent for the city was $1,901 a month, up 3.1% in a year, so rents are still rising while values hold flat.
For the wider Bakersfield metro area, Zillow reports 2,967 homes for sale in September 2026, a typical 54 days from listing to pending, and price cuts on 24.2% of listings. Keep each source's figures together: Redfin reports the homes that actually sold in the period, while Zillow estimates the value of every home, sold or not. The two will never match, and mixing them in one comparison gives a false picture.
What the trend shows
Bakersfield's prices ran hard from 2019 to 2022 and have barely moved since. Zillow's typical value was $246,007 in September 2019, $315,862 in September 2021 and $364,733 in September 2022. It then crept to $366,018 a year later, $383,166 in September 2024 and its $388,269 high in February 2025. Since then it has drifted in a band of a few thousand dollars, ending September 2026 at $385,686.
That pattern matters more than the headline. A 48% gain in three years was followed by three years of gains under 5% a year, then a flat year. Owners who bought before 2021 hold large equity gains. Owners who bought in 2022 at about $364,000 are up only about 6% on paper, before the cost of selling, which in California commonly runs to several percent of the price once commission, escrow, title and the county transfer tax are added. Our California closing costs guide lists each item.
Redfin's sale figures tell the same story with more noise. The city's median sale price for the three months to September 2026 was $419,800, up 1.2% from a year earlier. Kern County's single-month median for all home types swung between $372,990 and $400,000 across the year to September 2026, and the September 2026 county figure of $399,107 (up 3.7%) is provisional. Monthly medians bounce with the mix of homes that happen to close, so the rolling city figure is the steadier guide.
Against the state, Bakersfield remains one of California's cheaper large markets. Zillow's typical value for California was $761,538 in September 2026, so a typical Bakersfield home is valued at about half the state figure, roughly $376,000 less. That gap is the main reason buyers from Los Angeles and the coast look here, and the main reason prices here held up while some coastal markets slipped.
Sale speed, price cuts and inventory
Homes in Bakersfield are selling more slowly than they did in 2021 and 2022, but they are still selling. Redfin's median of 39 days on market in the three months to September 2026 compares with 41 days for California as a whole in September 2026. About a third of listings, 32.6%, went under contract within two weeks, and the average home sold for 99.1% of its final list price. That is a market where well-priced homes move and overpriced ones sit.
Price cuts in the Bakersfield metro
Zillow's metro data shows 24.2% of listings with a price cut in September 2026. The share fell to 18.1% in January 2026, then climbed every month from February through September. Rising cuts in late summer and fall are normal, but they also show sellers testing high prices in spring and backing down when buyers did not follow.
Inventory and months of supply
Supply is close to balanced. Redfin counted 927 homes for sale inside the city in the three months to September 2026, down 1.5% in a year, and 3.2 months of supply. Kern County's monthly count of all homes for sale was 2,407 in September 2026, with 4.4 months of supply. Fewer new listings (down 9.1% in the city) are keeping inventory from building, which is why prices have not fallen despite slower sales.
How long homes take to go pending
Zillow's metro measure of typical days to pending was 54 in September 2026, up from 53 a year earlier and down from a winter high of 67 in January 2026. Expect a listing to take seven to eight weeks to find a buyer in a normal month, longer in December and January.
Differences by ZIP code and neighborhood
Bakersfield's market splits clearly between a handful of higher-priced ZIPs with newer subdivisions and the older, lower-priced parts of the city. The table uses Redfin's rolling three-month figures to September 2026, all home types. Each ZIP links to its data page.
| ZIP | Median sale price | 1-year change | Homes sold | Median days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93314 | $559,304 | -4.4% | 114 | 42 |
| 93311 | $513,599 | +11.7% | 193 | 40 |
| 93312 | $444,869 | -2.2% | 155 | 35 |
| 93313 | $427,774 | +2.6% | 109 | 39 |
| 93301 | $379,888 | +4.1% | 18 | 60 |
| 93306 | $369,891 | +1.3% | 137 | 43 |
| 93307 | $354,896 | +4.4% | 97 | 31 |
| 93309 | $344,899 | -2.9% | 147 | 42 |
| 93308 | $331,902 | +0.6% | 118 | 47 |
| 93304 | $314,907 | +2.4% | 78 | 42 |
| 93305 | $294,413 | -1.0% | 49 | 47 |
The top of the range: 93311 and 93314
These two ZIPs hold most of the city's newer subdivisions and its highest prices. 93311, which takes in much of the Seven Oaks and Highgate area and several active builder communities, recorded the most sales of any Bakersfield ZIP (193) and an 11.7% rise in its median, the biggest jump in the city. Part of that rise reflects new-home closings at higher prices. 93314 has the city's highest median at $559,304 but fell 4.4%, a reminder that medians in small upper-end samples move a lot.
Tight supply in 93312 and 93313
93312 had the tightest supply in the city at 2.0 months, with homes selling in a median 35 days. 93313, where D.R. Horton describes its Sterling Manor II site as southwest Bakersfield, sold in 39 days with 3.0 months of supply and 32.7% of homes going over list price, a sign that mid-priced newer homes there still draw competition.
Lower-priced ZIPs: 93301 to 93309
The older ZIPs have medians between about $295,000 and $380,000. 93307 was the fastest-selling ZIP in the city at 31 days, and its homes sold on average for 100.3% of list price, the only Bakersfield ZIP above 100%. 93304 had the largest jump in homes for sale, up 51.2% in a year, so buyers there have more choice than a year ago. 93301 is a thin market, with only 18 sales in three months, and its median of 60 days on market is the slowest in the city.
Zillow's ZIP values follow the same order. 93314 leads at $575,000, then 93311 at $471,875 and 93312 at $454,169, while 93304 sits at $291,355. Most Bakersfield ZIPs moved less than 1% either way in Zillow's estimate over the year to September 2026. For a fuller breakdown by area, see our Bakersfield ZIP codes guide and Bakersfield neighborhoods.
Condos, houses, luxury and new homes
Single-family houses dominate
Bakersfield is overwhelmingly a market of detached houses. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020 to 2024) puts 71.8% of the city's housing units in one-unit detached buildings. Kern County's Redfin figures for September 2026 show 517 single-family sales at a median of $401,859, up 3.2%, with a median 46 days on market. Those figures are a single provisional month.
Condos and townhomes are a thin market
Condos are a small sliver of sales. Redfin recorded only 10 condo or co-op sales across Kern County in September 2026, at a median of $209,809, with 66 on the market, 6.4 months of supply and a median of 102 days to sell. Townhouse sales were too few for Redfin to report a median. A small market means wider price swings and fewer comparable sales for an appraiser, so read our Bakersfield condos guide before buying one.
The upper end
The most expensive neighborhoods Zillow tracks inside the city are Masterpiece Estates at $702,007 and Brimhall Estates at $696,406, followed by Seven Oaks at $642,965 and Olde Stockdale at $641,408. Upper-end homes sell to a smaller pool of buyers, so expect longer marketing times and more negotiation than the citywide figures suggest.
New construction
New homes are a meaningful share of sales on the southwest and northwest edges. Builder price lists we checked on October 30, 2026 started from $369,500 at Lennar's The Gardens at Encanto and ran past $600,000 for the largest plans at Beneva Glen. Builders also offer incentives such as rate buy-downs that resale sellers rarely match. Our Bakersfield new construction guide covers each community.
Is now a good time to buy a house in Bakersfield?
It is a reasonable time to buy if you plan to stay at least five years and the monthly payment works for you. Prices are flat, so you are not chasing a rising market, and 3.2 months of supply gives you room to negotiate. One in four listings in the metro has had a price cut, and the average sale closed just under list.
The hard part is the rate. Freddie Mac's 30-year average was 7.24% in the week of October 29, 2026. At that rate, a home at Zillow's typical Bakersfield value of $385,686 with 10% down carries principal and interest of about $2,366 a month, before property tax, insurance and any HOA or special tax. Property tax in Kern County starts at 1% of the purchase price plus local voter-approved charges; see our Kern County property tax guide for the rates.
- Compare to rent: Zillow's observed rent of $1,901 a month is several hundred dollars below that payment, so buying pays off through equity and stability over time, not month one.
- Ask about builder incentives: new-home builders in the southwest are advertising price reductions and financing offers on standing inventory.
- Check insurance early: get a homeowners quote before you remove contingencies. Our California homeowners insurance guide explains what to expect.
- Check special taxes: many newer subdivisions carry a Mello-Roos or assessment line on the tax bill. See the Mello-Roos guide.
Is now a good time to sell a house in Bakersfield?
It is a fair time to sell if your home is priced to the market from day one. Values are near their all-time high, the number of competing new listings fell 9.1% in a year, and 26.4% of homes in the city still sold above list. What has changed is patience: the median home takes 39 days, and listings that start too high are the ones collecting price cuts.
- Price off recent sales in your ZIP: the spread between 93314 and 93304 is more than $240,000, so a citywide figure is no guide to your home.
- List in spring if you can: Zillow's metro days to pending fell from 67 in January 2026 to 49 in June 2026.
- Expect competition from builders if you sell a newer home in 93311, 93313 or 93314, where buyers can compare yours with a new home that comes with a warranty and incentives.
- Know your costs: see our guides to selling a house in California and California transfer tax.
Bakersfield housing market forecast and outlook
We do not make our own forecast. Zillow's published forecast for the Bakersfield metro area, based on September 2026 data, calls for no change in home values through December 2026 and a 1.6% rise by September 2027. That fits the last 18 months: a flat market where rents keep rising faster than values.
Three things would change the picture. A drop in mortgage rates from the current 7.24% would bring more buyers back quickly, because Bakersfield prices are within reach of many households priced out of the coast. A rise in listings, especially in 93304 and 93307 where supply is already growing, would add pressure on prices. And the pace of new-home construction on the city's edges sets a ceiling on what resale homes in the same areas can fetch. For the statewide view, see our California housing market guide.