Data / Unemployed people / Bakersfield, CA

Unemployed people in Bakersfield, CA

Unemployed people in Bakersfield, CA was 12,966 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 6.4% from 2024. That is the 8th highest of 285 cities in 2025.

2025, persons12,966
Change on 2024+6.4%
Rank8th of 285Cities in California ranked
Series high23,6222010
Series low7,0462000

Next release: Wednesday, 28 October 2026, 10:00 ET, announced by BLS. Release calendar

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Unemployed people in Bakersfield, CA, 1990 to 2025

5,00010K15K20K25K19901996200220082014202020251990: 7,212 persons1991: 8,414 persons1992: 11,122 persons1993: 11,135 persons1994: 10,403 persons1995: 9,648 persons1996: 9,308 persons1997: 8,926 persons1998: 8,724 persons1999: 8,258 persons2000: 7,046 persons2001: 7,513 persons2002: 8,849 persons2003: 9,537 persons2004: 9,147 persons2005: 8,047 persons2006: 7,471 persons2007: 8,289 persons2008: 10,440 persons2009: 15,675 persons2010: 23,622 persons2011: 22,772 persons2012: 20,901 persons2013: 18,979 persons2014: 16,890 persons2015: 16,411 persons2016: 14,008 persons2017: 11,520 persons2018: 9,935 persons2019: 9,655 persons2020: 20,410 persons2021: 14,371 persons2022: 9,086 persons2023: 11,004 persons2024: 12,181 persons2025: 12,966 persons5,00010K15K20K25K19902002201420251990: 7,212 persons1991: 8,414 persons1992: 11,122 persons1993: 11,135 persons1994: 10,403 persons1995: 9,648 persons1996: 9,308 persons1997: 8,926 persons1998: 8,724 persons1999: 8,258 persons2000: 7,046 persons2001: 7,513 persons2002: 8,849 persons2003: 9,537 persons2004: 9,147 persons2005: 8,047 persons2006: 7,471 persons2007: 8,289 persons2008: 10,440 persons2009: 15,675 persons2010: 23,622 persons2011: 22,772 persons2012: 20,901 persons2013: 18,979 persons2014: 16,890 persons2015: 16,411 persons2016: 14,008 persons2017: 11,520 persons2018: 9,935 persons2019: 9,655 persons2020: 20,410 persons2021: 14,371 persons2022: 9,086 persons2023: 11,004 persons2024: 12,181 persons2025: 12,966 persons
persons. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-09-30.
All 36 values
Periodpersons
202512,966
202412,181
202311,004
20229,086
202114,371
202020,410
20199,655
20189,935
201711,520
201614,008
201516,411
201416,890
201318,979
201220,901
201122,772
201023,622
200915,675
200810,440
20078,289
20067,471
20058,047
20049,147
20039,537
20028,849
20017,513
20007,046
19998,258
19988,724
19978,926
19969,308
19959,648
199410,403
199311,135
199211,122
19918,414
19907,212

Rankings

Definition

Residents with no job who were available for work and had looked for work in the previous four weeks, or were waiting to be recalled from a layoff, annual average.

More on how it is measured
  • People aged 16 and over by place of residence, from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions are excluded.

United States cities only for now. The survey definition, not a count of benefit claimants. BLS estimates cities by splitting county estimates with Census Bureau employment and population data and unemployment insurance claims, so city figures are less precise than state ones. BLS publishes cities of 25,000 or more, and smaller cities in New England.

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How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average (Unemployed people, Bakersfield, CA, 1990 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, Unemployed people, Bakersfield, CA, 1990 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/bakersfield-ca. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Unemployed people, Bakersfield, CA, 1990 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/bakersfield-ca.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, Unemployed people, Bakersfield, CA, 1990 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/bakersfield-ca (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_unemployed_people_bakersfield_ca_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average: Unemployed people, Bakersfield, CA, 1990 to 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/bakersfield-ca. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average: Unemployed people, Bakersfield, CA, 1990 to 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/bakersfield-ca
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/unemployed-people/bakersfield-ca.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

What is the unemployed people in Bakersfield, CA?

Unemployed people in Bakersfield, CA was 12,966 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 6.4% from 2024. That is the 8th highest of 285 cities in 2025.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest unemployed people in Bakersfield, CA?

23,622 in 2010, the highest value since 1990 in this series.

Unemployed people elsewhere in California

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