Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers Salary — Bakersfield, California

The average Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in Bakersfield, California earns $41,820 a year.

$41,820 / year, mean
↑ 19.4% above national average 68th percentile in California

Bakersfield sits roughly in the middle of the pack for this role within California — neither a standout nor a laggard. That's a solid premium over the national average for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within California

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
120
Estimate confidence
RSE 2.4%
Cost of living 101 #49 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 2124 #140 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $364,264 #72 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $67,660 #121 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Bakersfield ranks #49 for cost of living and #72 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

Los Angeles $46,780 San Diego $45,230 San Jose $43,270 Santa Maria $42,460 San Francisco $42,070 Santa Cruz $41,840 Bakersfield $41,820 Riverside $41,620 Seattle $41,580 Crestview $41,140 Muskegon $40,730 Fresno $40,610 Oxnard $40,530 San Luis Obispo $40,200 Vallejo $39,720 Ann Arbor $39,710 Naples $39,220 Santa Rosa $39,170 Panama City $38,800 Sebastian $38,730 Austin $38,620 Miami $38,620 Sacramento $38,590 Traverse City $38,310 Deltona $38,260 New York $38,200 Atlantic City $37,980 Bellingham $37,960 Bremerton $37,850 Stockton $37,850 Bend $37,650 Salinas $37,330 Kennewick $37,270 Modesto $37,090 Portland $36,960 Yakima $36,860 Olympia $36,850 Chico $36,710 Port St. Lucie $36,410 Sarasota $36,380 Trenton $36,330 Medford $36,140 Kingston $35,690 El Centro $35,660 Buffalo $35,620 Spokane $35,410 Pensacola $35,360 Rochester $35,350 Kiryas Joel $34,910 Syracuse $34,850 Tampa $34,600 Ithaca $34,570 Bloomington $34,490 Jacksonville $34,440 Chicago $34,330 York $34,120 Palm Bay $33,920 Chambersburg $33,850 Watertown $33,850 Albany $33,800 Baltimore $33,790 Salem $33,610 Utica $33,470 Binghamton $33,420 Allentown $33,030 Michigan City $33,010 Rockford $32,940 Orlando $32,800 Ocala $32,700 Albany $32,610 Midland $32,530 Eugene $32,380 Springfield $32,250 Peoria $32,230 Charlottesville $32,210 Philadelphia $32,170 Harrisonburg $32,140 Detroit $31,390 Hagerstown $31,360 Niles $31,250 Elkhart $31,060 Blacksburg $30,980 Grand Rapids $30,710 Lafayette $30,620 Roanoke $30,450 Winchester $30,350 Lansing $30,110 Richmond $30,030 Dallas $29,920 Virginia Beach $29,920 El Paso $29,770 Erie $29,730 Harrisburg $29,700 Killeen $29,660 Bay City $29,510 Kalamazoo $29,400 South Bend $29,310 San Antonio $29,230 Indianapolis $29,210 Fort Wayne $29,100 Flint $28,820 Lancaster $28,820 Louisville $28,790 Lynchburg $28,670 Scranton $28,530 Longview $28,240 Pittsburgh $28,190 Lexington $28,130 Corpus Christi $28,050 Houston $28,040 Jackson $27,500 Reading $27,150 Muncie $27,010 Evansville $26,800 Terre Haute $26,190 Altoona $26,150 Brownsville $26,100 College Station $26,010 McAllen $25,960 Charleston $25,940 Sherman $25,640 Bowling Green $25,160 Wheeling $24,470 Columbus $24,400 Huntington $24,340 Amarillo $23,420
CityMean salaryvs. Bakersfield
Albany, Oregon$32,610-22.0%
Albany, New York$33,800-19.2%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$33,030-21.0%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$26,150-37.5%
Amarillo, Texas$23,420-44.0%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$39,710-5.0%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$37,980-9.2%
Austin, Texas$38,620-7.7%
Baltimore, Maryland$33,790-19.2%
Bay City, Michigan$29,510-29.4%
Bellingham, Washington$37,960-9.2%
Bend, Oregon$37,650-10.0%
Binghamton, New York$33,420-20.1%
Blacksburg, Virginia$30,980-25.9%
Bloomington, Illinois$34,490-17.5%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$25,160-39.8%
Bremerton, Washington$37,850-9.5%
Brownsville, Texas$26,100-37.6%
Buffalo, New York$35,620-14.8%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$33,850-19.1%
Charleston, West Virginia$25,940-38.0%
Charlottesville, Virginia$32,210-23.0%
Chicago, Illinois$34,330-17.9%
Chico, California$36,710-12.2%
College Station, Texas$26,010-37.8%
Columbus, Indiana$24,400-41.7%
Corpus Christi, Texas$28,050-32.9%
Crestview, Florida$41,140-1.6%
Dallas, Texas$29,920-28.5%
Deltona, Florida$38,260-8.5%
Detroit, Michigan$31,390-24.9%
El Centro, California$35,660-14.7%
Elkhart, Indiana$31,060-25.7%
El Paso, Texas$29,770-28.8%
Erie, Pennsylvania$29,730-28.9%
Eugene, Oregon$32,380-22.6%
Evansville, Indiana$26,800-35.9%
Flint, Michigan$28,820-31.1%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$29,100-30.4%
Fresno, California$40,610-2.9%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$30,710-26.6%
Hagerstown, Maryland$31,360-25.0%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$29,700-29.0%
Harrisonburg, Virginia$32,140-23.1%
Houston, Texas$28,040-33.0%
Huntington, West Virginia$24,340-41.8%
Indianapolis, Indiana$29,210-30.2%
Ithaca, New York$34,570-17.3%
Jackson, Michigan$27,500-34.2%
Jacksonville, Florida$34,440-17.6%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$29,400-29.7%
Kennewick, Washington$37,270-10.9%
Killeen, Texas$29,660-29.1%
Kingston, New York$35,690-14.7%
Kiryas Joel, New York$34,910-16.5%
Lafayette, Indiana$30,620-26.8%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$28,820-31.1%
Lansing, Michigan$30,110-28.0%
Lexington, Kentucky$28,130-32.7%
Longview, Texas$28,240-32.5%
Los Angeles, California$46,780+11.9%
Louisville, Kentucky$28,790-31.2%
Lynchburg, Virginia$28,670-31.4%
McAllen, Texas$25,960-37.9%
Medford, Oregon$36,140-13.6%
Miami, Florida$38,620-7.7%
Michigan City, Indiana$33,010-21.1%
Midland, Texas$32,530-22.2%
Modesto, California$37,090-11.3%
Muncie, Indiana$27,010-35.4%
Muskegon, Michigan$40,730-2.6%
Naples, Florida$39,220-6.2%
New York, New York$38,200-8.7%
Niles, Michigan$31,250-25.3%
Sarasota, Florida$36,380-13.0%
Ocala, Florida$32,700-21.8%
Olympia, Washington$36,850-11.9%
Orlando, Florida$32,800-21.6%
Oxnard, California$40,530-3.1%
Palm Bay, Florida$33,920-18.9%
Panama City, Florida$38,800-7.2%
Pensacola, Florida$35,360-15.4%
Peoria, Illinois$32,230-22.9%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$32,170-23.1%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$28,190-32.6%
Portland, Oregon$36,960-11.6%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$36,410-12.9%
Reading, Pennsylvania$27,150-35.1%
Richmond, Virginia$30,030-28.2%
Riverside, California$41,620-0.5%
Roanoke, Virginia$30,450-27.2%
Rochester, New York$35,350-15.5%
Rockford, Illinois$32,940-21.2%
Sacramento, California$38,590-7.7%
Salem, Oregon$33,610-19.6%
Salinas, California$37,330-10.7%
San Antonio, Texas$29,230-30.1%
San Diego, California$45,230+8.2%
San Francisco, California$42,070+0.6%
San Jose, California$43,270+3.5%
San Luis Obispo, California$40,200-3.9%
Santa Cruz, California$41,840+0.0%
Santa Maria, California$42,460+1.5%
Santa Rosa, California$39,170-6.3%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$28,530-31.8%
Seattle, Washington$41,580-0.6%
Sebastian, Florida$38,730-7.4%
Sherman, Texas$25,640-38.7%
South Bend, Indiana$29,310-29.9%
Spokane, Washington$35,410-15.3%
Springfield, Illinois$32,250-22.9%
Stockton, California$37,850-9.5%
Syracuse, New York$34,850-16.7%
Tampa, Florida$34,600-17.3%
Terre Haute, Indiana$26,190-37.4%
Traverse City, Michigan$38,310-8.4%
Trenton, New Jersey$36,330-13.1%
Utica, New York$33,470-20.0%
Vallejo, California$39,720-5.0%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$29,920-28.5%
Watertown, New York$33,850-19.1%
Wheeling, West Virginia$24,470-41.5%
Winchester, Virginia$30,350-27.4%
Yakima, Washington$36,860-11.9%
York, Pennsylvania$34,120-18.4%
Gross salary
41,820/yr
Estimated take-home
34,974/yr
Est. total withheld
16.4%

Single filer, federal + California state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers salaries in California → All Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers salaries →
Community reality check

Community reality check for Bakersfield

These notes add local color around Bakersfield, California: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.

Relocation gap2.0× calculator gap
City comparison anecdotal

Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.

2.0×calculator multiplier10%HCOL premium cited$200KAtlanta TC example$450KBay Area TC example

Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 33-9092 SOC code
Official area Bakersfield-Delano, CA BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 12540 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ca_ftb_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
Delano
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: California

Population (metro area)
910,433