Bakersfield scores 60 out of 100 (high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 4430 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Is Bakersfield safe?

United States · North America · data updated 2026-09-04

60.1High · rank 4430 / 6,168
safer than 28% of ranked cities

Bakersfield is a city in United States, home to about 504k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,430 of 6,168, with a safety score of 60.1 out of 100, placing it clearly above the global midpoint.

Emergency 911 (ambulance, fire, police)

Elevated homicide rate9.6 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 4× the global city median.

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for United States are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Bakersfield really?

The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Bakersfield recorded 9.6 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2022 - roughly 4 times the global city median. United States's income inequality is middling (Gini 41.8) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

What the travel advisories say

The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for United States without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.

What to watch out for in United States

Terrorism in the USA · Protecting your belongings · Violent crime · Protests · Personal ID · Alcohol laws · Illegal drugs · LGBT+ travellers · Road travel · Vehicle safety · Petrol stations · Air travel · Snowstorms · Hurricanes · +6 more

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for United States — country-level, not specific to Bakersfield. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 9.6 /100kcity-measured, 2022 · ~4× the global city median
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 41.8country, 2024
Human development: HDI 0.938country, 2023
Income: $89,490/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 504kurban centre · 2,531/km²
Nearest airport: 10 kmMeadows Field (BFL)

Straight-line distance from the city centre, not drive time. Scheduled-service airports only (OurAirports).

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 12.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 64/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 74/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 64/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 3.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.84Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 7.0 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 98%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 3.7 doctors /1k2.7 hospital beds per 1,000

Natural hazards in United States

Earthquake: 7.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Cyclone: 7.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Flood: 7.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Tsunami: 7.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 4.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe United States as a whole, not Bakersfield specifically.

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in United States (as of 2025).

All country-level figures shared by every city in United States; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%32

Peace25%100

Equality25%52

Development10%94

One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Bakersfield that gives 60.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Bakersfield compared with Los Angeles

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Bakersfield, red favours Los Angeles.
Measure	Bakersfield	Los Angeles	Difference
Safety score	60.1	62.4	−2.3 — better for Los Angeles
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	9.6 /100k	6.9 /100k	+2.7 /100k — better for Los Angeles
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in United States, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Los Angeles →

Nearby cities

See Bakersfield on the interactive map → · Safest cities in North America → · Full travel briefings →