Commercial Real Estate Market in Bakersfield, CA
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: September 30
720 active listings and 14,414 off-market properties in Bakersfield, CA. Commercial property asks $91/SF to buy and $9.36/SF/Yr to lease.
Market Trends
Bakersfield, CA spans 1,027.7 square miles in Kern County, California. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 30 September 2026.
Office
Office space in Bakersfield, CA asks $139/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 20.8% across the West region in 2025, up from 11% in 2019.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in West region
Retail
Retail space in Bakersfield, CA asks $139/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 7.2% in 2025, down from 8.3% in 2019. Nearly 1.4x the 2022 low of 5.1%.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate %
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Bakersfield, CA runs 7.9% across the West region in 2025, up from 3.7% in 2019. Nearly 3.2x the 2022 low of 2.5%.
Vacancy Rate % in West region
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Bakersfield, CA asks $182/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 8.6% across the West region in 2025, up from 7% in 2022.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in West region
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 65.8%
- Industrial 9.5%
- Planned_development 7.3%
- Commercial 6.8%
- Special 5.5%
- Open space 3.8%
- Mixed use 0.9%
- Civic 0.1%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Single Unit Dwelling
Agricultural
Light Manufacturing
Small Lot Single Unit Dwelling 6.1 To 13 Units Per Acre
Single Unit Dwelling Planned Unit Development
Bakersfield, CA zones 83,828 acres across 91 districts. Commercial zoning covers 6.8% of zoned land, residential 65.8%, open space 3.8% and industrial 9.5%. The largest single district is Single Unit Dwelling at 31.8%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 16.3% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
Single Unit Dwelling (R-1)
R-1 (Single-Unit Dwelling) Zone. The purpose of the R-1 zone is to provide land areas for the use and occupancy of single-unit detached dwellings and accessory dwelling units . It is the intent of this zone to protect and preserve existing neighborhoods and promote the future development of lower-density residential single-unit neighborhoods that provide a l…
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Bakersfield, CA has 586,945 residents in 193,044 households. Density runs 571 people per square mile. Median household income here is $75,144 and median gross rent $1,442 a month.
586,945
Population
193,044
Households
3
Avg Household Size
33
Median Age
20%
College-Educated
79%
High-School Grad
1027.7 sq mi
ZIP Area
571
Density / Sq Mi
$75,144
Median Household Income
$40,524
Median Earnings
$1,442
Median Rent
$317,379
Median Home Value
Tools
Lease vs Buy Breakeven
At $9.36/SF/Yr lease vs $91/SF buy → buying wins if held > 1.3 years.
At a 10.3% gross asking yield the payback reads short relative to leasing. Assumes 30% down at 6.5% fixed, 2% a year in taxes and upkeep, 3% appreciation, 5% opportunity cost, 2% closing plus 5% selling costs, and a 3% annual rent escalator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price per square foot for commercial property in Bakersfield?
Commercial property in Bakersfield, CA asks an average of $91 per square foot. The 7 most recent recorded sales traded at a median of $200/SF. Multifamily carries the highest asking price at $182/SF.
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Bakersfield?
Asking lease rates in Bakersfield, CA average $9.36 per square foot per year.
Is it cheaper to lease or buy commercial space in Bakersfield?
Buying beats leasing in Bakersfield, CA if the property is held longer than 1.3 years, comparing $9.36/SF/Yr asking rent with $91/SF asking price. The model assumes 30% down at 6.5% fixed, 2% of value per year in taxes and upkeep, 3% appreciation, 5% opportunity cost on the cash and a 3% annual rent escalator.
What zoning applies to commercial property in Bakersfield?
Bakersfield, CA zones 83,828 acres across 91 districts, of which 6.8% is commercial and 9.5% industrial. The largest single district is Single Unit Dwelling at 31.8% of zoned land. R-1 (Single-Unit Dwelling) Zone. The purpose of the R-1 zone is to provide land areas for the use and occupancy of single-unit detached dwellings and accessory dwelling units . It is the intent of this zone to protect and preserve existing neighborhoods and promote the future development of lower-density residential single-unit neighborhoods that provide a l… Residential zoning covers 65.8% and open space 3.8%.
Where does Realmo's Bakersfield market data come from?
Realmo compiles Bakersfield, CA figures from 7 recent recorded sales, 560 active sale listings, 160 active lease listings, 14,414 tracked off-market properties, the current Bakersfield zoning release. Sale and lease figures refresh monthly; vacancy annually. Last updated 30 September 2026.
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and averages
- Computed from 560 active for-sale and 160 active for-lease listings in Bakersfield, CA. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a segment carried by a handful of listings reads as indicative rather than an average.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 83,828 zoned acres across 91 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 30 September 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- office vacancy is reported at West region level, industrial vacancy is reported at West region level and multifamily vacancy is reported at West region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 30 September 2026 · How Realmo checks market page data · Report a data issue
