Original analysis, updated October 27, 2026
Kern County pest data
Bakersfield is hot, dry and has a real West Nile season. We pulled 30 years of daily temperatures from Meadows Field, this year's West Nile reports from the state, and Census housing data for 19 Kern ZIP codes.
The Bakersfield pest year
How we built this- Avg. days at 90°F+ (NOAA, 1996 to 2025)
- 2026 West Nile symptom onsets, statewide (CDPH)
- Months averaging half an inch of rain or more
Average days per month at 90°F or hotter, Bakersfield Meadows Field
Days per year at 100°F or hotter, Bakersfield Meadows Field
Reported West Nile virus infections per 100,000 people
Kern CountyCalifornia
Average rainfall by month, Bakersfield Meadows Field (inches)
What we found
- Long hot season. Meadows Field averages 113 days a year at 90°F or hotter, 39 at 100°F or hotter and 10 at 105°F or hotter (1996 to 2025). The median first 90-degree day is April 14 and the median last is October 13. July averages a high of 99°F.
- 2026 ran hot. 47 days at 100°F or more through October 24, 2026, against an average of 39 by that date. The hottest reading in the record we pulled was 115°F on September 6, 2022.
- Warm nights. About 53 nights a year stay at 70°F or warmer.
- Dry summers. About 6.2 inches of rain a year, nearly all of it from October to April.
- West Nile is active here. Through October 23, 2026, CDPH counted 10 human cases and 128 positive mosquito samples in Kern County in 2026 (statewide: 452 cases, 4,075 positive samples). Kern's reported rate was 1.32 per 100,000 in 2024 and 2.09 in 2025, against 0.33 and 0.30 statewide.
- Older housing is concentrated. 93305 East Bakersfield (79% built before 1980), 93304 South-central Bakersfield (76% built before 1980), 93241 Lamont (74% built before 1980), 93268 Taft (71% built before 1980). Rosedale (93314) has the newest, with a median year built of 2006.
All 19 ZIP codes
| ZIP | Area | Homes | Single-family detached | Median year built | Built before 1980 | Built 2000 or later | Owner occupied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93307 | Southeast Bakersfield | 24,398 | 17,257 | 1982 | 48% | 28% | 47% |
| 93306 | Northeast Bakersfield | 24,143 | 17,517 | 1979 | 52% | 25% | 64% |
| 93309 | Southwest Bakersfield | 23,656 | 12,453 | 1976 | 65% | 4% | 47% |
| 93308 | Oildale and North Bakersfield | 21,354 | 13,798 | 1977 | 55% | 21% | 49% |
| 93312 | Northwest Bakersfield | 19,166 | 17,399 | 2001 | 10% | 53% | 80% |
| 93311 | Far southwest Bakersfield | 18,357 | 14,993 | 2001 | 5% | 55% | 71% |
| 93313 | South Bakersfield | 17,673 | 16,137 | 2000 | 14% | 50% | 79% |
| 93304 | South-central Bakersfield | 16,234 | 11,148 | 1964 | 76% | 7% | 46% |
| 93561 | Tehachapi | 14,063 | 12,026 | 1988 | 32% | 27% | 80% |
| 93215 | Delano | 13,444 | 9,870 | 1989 | 39% | 27% | 61% |
| 93305 | East Bakersfield | 11,750 | 7,703 | 1965 | 79% | 6% | 34% |
| 93314 | Rosedale | 11,508 | 10,217 | 2006 | 9% | 66% | 84% |
| 93280 | Wasco | 7,074 | 5,399 | 1982 | 48% | 33% | 58% |
| 93263 | Shafter | 6,722 | 5,417 | 1989 | 43% | 38% | 63% |
| 93268 | Taft | 6,352 | 4,839 | 1966 | 71% | 11% | 50% |
| 93301 | Downtown Bakersfield | 6,174 | 2,165 | 1973 | 61% | 16% | 37% |
| 93203 | Arvin | 5,314 | 3,767 | 1992 | 34% | 36% | 54% |
| 93241 | Lamont | 4,646 | 3,570 | 1972 | 74% | 14% | 43% |
| 93250 | McFarland | 4,090 | 3,394 | 1990 | 38% | 41% | 54% |
Area names are our shorthand for the main neighborhood or town in each ZIP. Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25034, B25024, B25035, B25003). Click a column to sort.
How we built this
Heat and rain. NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network daily summaries for Bakersfield Meadows Field (station USW00023155), January 1996 to October 24, 2026. Yearly and monthly averages use the 30 complete years 1996 to 2025.
West Nile virus. California Department of Public Health: California Arbovirus Surveillance Bulletin #29, week 42 (October 23, 2026) and the yearly Reported Incidence of West Nile virus reports for 2024, 2025, 2026. Rates are infections per 100,000 people as CDPH reports them.
Homes. US Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, via Census Reporter.
Limits. One airport station does not describe every neighborhood. Tehachapi, at about 4,000 feet, runs much cooler than Meadows Field. Weather and housing age describe conditions; they don't tell you whether your house has a pest problem.
About this data
Where does this data come from?
NOAA NCEI daily weather summaries for Bakersfield Meadows Field, the California Department of Public Health's West Nile virus reports, and the US Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP code.
Can I use these charts?
Yes. Journalists, realtors and inspectors may cite or republish the charts and table with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).