Housing
As of the 2000 census, Bakersfield had 88,189 total housing units. The vast majority of these units, 65 percent, are detached, single-family homes. Most of the multifamily homes are large complexes with 20 units or more.
The median home price in 2000 was $106,500, but Bakersfield, like most California communities, has experienced significant land value appreciation in the first half of the decade. In 2005, the city’s median home price was measured at $247,500 – an increase of more than 130 percent from five years prior. Current prices range from about $100,000 up to $1.75 million. Within this range, prospective buyers will find single-family homes, residential lots for custom building, investment properties, waterfront homes and townhouses and condominiums. More than half of Bakersfield’s homes are owner-occupied.