Registered nurse · Bakersfield, CA

Registered nurse in Bakersfield: $4,097/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median registered nurse wage in Bakersfield at $128,810 a year. About 5,620 registered nurse jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.76). The 10th percentile is $87,760 and the 90th is $162,020. Pay ranks 24th-highest of 374 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 8.8× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,218/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $4,097 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 183 miles away, at $6,476 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$4,097

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$128,810

$87,760 to $162,020

Rent (1 bd)

$1,218

$1,450 (2 bd)

Employment

5,620

Location quotient 0.76

Pay rank

24th of 374

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

8.8×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, registered nurse pay of $128,810.

Taxes$3,168
Rent$1,218
Other living costs$2,251
Left over$4,097

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $128,810
Federal income tax: −$20,161
Social Security and Medicare: −$9,854
State income tax (CA): −$8,006
Take-home pay: $90,788
Effective tax rate: 29.5%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $1,218
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $681
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $3,469

Left over each month

$10,734 gross, minus $3,168 in tax and $3,469 in living costs.

$4,097

Rank every metro for a registered nurse

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: San Jose, $6,476/mo.

Registered nurse leftover by city →Best cities for nurses to move to →

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Questions

What does a registered nurse make in Bakersfield?

$128,810 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 5,620 registered nurse jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a registered nurse in Bakersfield?

$4,097 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $1,218, and pay covers 8.8× a year of it.

Where nearby would a registered nurse keep more?

San Jose, about 183 miles away, leaves $6,476 a month, more than Bakersfield.