Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Pediatrician Salary in Bakersfield, CA
Healthcare · SOC 29-1221 · COL Index 100.6
Pediatricians in Bakersfield, CA earn a median salary of $290,420 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $93,350 to $375,700. The mean is $276,350 across approximately 70 workers. Adjusted for Bakersfield, CA's cost-of-living index of 100.6, the median equates to $288,688 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Pediatrician in Bakersfield, CA pays a substantial premium over the national median: $290,420 versus $201,922 nationally, roughly 44% above. The premium reflects local labor demand, cost-of-living adjustment, and industry concentration.
Cost-of-living in Bakersfield, CA sits near the national baseline (index 100.6), so the unadjusted $290,420 median is reasonably comparable to wages in other near-baseline cities. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $172,178, $290,420, $333,060, $375,700. 70 Pediatrician workers are documented in Bakersfield, CA per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $93,350 | $92,793 |
| 25th Percentile | $172,178 | $171,151 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $290,420 | $288,688 |
| 75th Percentile | $333,060 | $331,074 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $375,700 | $373,459 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentile for Pediatricians in Bakersfield, CA is unusually wide — top earners take home roughly 4.0× what the bottom decile earns. That signals a long career ladder: substantial pay gains accrue with seniority, specialization, and movement to larger employers. Workers entering this role should expect to start near the 25th percentile and target the median by year three to five.
Bakersfield, CA's cost-of-living index of 100.6 sits close to the U.S. average — $290,420 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.
Bakersfield, CA ranks #2 of 58 BLS-tracked metros for Pediatrician pay — among the very top markets nationally. Top-3 metros for any occupation typically combine three signals: dense local employer concentration, high cost of living, and a deep pool of senior workers that pulls the percentile bands upward.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $333,060 for Pediatricians in Bakersfield, CA — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($375,700) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($172,178–$290,420) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($290,420–$333,060) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($333,060–$375,700).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Bakersfield, CA percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 29-1221 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Pediatrician salary in Bakersfield, CA?
Pediatricians in Bakersfield, CA earn a median salary of $290,420 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $276,350 across roughly 70 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Pediatricians in Bakersfield, CA?
Pay ranges from $93,350 at the 10th percentile to $375,700 at the 90th percentile — a $282,350 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($172,178 to $333,060) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $290,420 a good Pediatrician salary in Bakersfield, CA?
$290,420 is the BLS median — half of Pediatricians in Bakersfield, CA earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($172,178), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($333,060). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $288,688.
How does Pediatrician pay in Bakersfield, CA compare to other metros?
Bakersfield, CA ranks #2 of 58 BLS-tracked metros for Pediatrician median pay. It is among the highest-paying markets for this role.
Where does this Pediatrician salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Bakersfield, CA MSA, SOC 29-1221, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 70 Pediatricians tracked in Bakersfield, CA.