HillcrestCA
A town of 10,511.
Is Hillcrest a good place to live?
Hillcrest grades D− overall, 810th among California's 841 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $46K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 74% of U.S. towns. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Hillcrest, above both California’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 58 of California’s 1,064 towns do better.
What makes Hillcrest stand out
Where Hillcrest beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
98% of working residents leave Hillcrest for work
Where Hillcrest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Hillcrest grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Hillcrest is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Hillcrest: who provides what
Hillcrest is unincorporated, so Kern County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hillcrest.
Hillcrest carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly earthquakes) and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has poverty well above the California rate.
For health, Hillcrest earns a D−
38% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Hillcrest. Hillcrest beats the California average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 23. 20% of adults report frequent physical distress in Hillcrest.
| Hillcrest | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Hillcrest | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.5% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 18.9% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Hillcrest’s public schools trail 77% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the Bakersfield City school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is East Bakersfield High, with 2,331 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Mann ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 870 | – |
| East Bakersfield HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,331 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Hillcrest’s workers commute out
The average commute for its 3,359 working residents takes 22 minutes, against 28.7 across California. Jobs based here grew from 782 in 2013 to 1,196.
Most working residents leave Hillcrest for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Hillcrest is 22 minutes. Jobs based in Hillcrest grew to 1,196 in 2023, 414 more than in 2013.
| Hillcrest | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hillcrest has mild winters and hot summers
The Bakersfield Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 112 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 99.9°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40°.
Hillcrest has warm winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Hillcrest’s July high is 100°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Hillcrest | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 100°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 40°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Earthquakes leads a moderate hazard risk in Hillcrest
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of California towns, with expected losses of about $263 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median home in Hillcrest sells for about $340K
51% of Hillcrest households own their home.
| Hillcrest | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,259 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Dignity Health Arena and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hillcrest. Close and well known come first.
3 mi Stadium & arenaDignity Health Arena
4 mi MuseumKern County Museum85K visitors a year
35 mi MuseumFort Tejon
24 mi National MonumentCésar E. Chávez National Monument31K visitors a year6 mi Zoo & aquariumCalifornia Living Museum
3 mi MuseumBakersfield Museum of ArtPhoto credits
Dignity Health Arena: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Kern County Museum: (WT-de) Mistoffeles, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Tejon: Yellowute at English Wikipedia, Public domain · César E. Chávez National Monument: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Bakersfield Museum of Art: Skyman9999. Skyman9999, CC0
Everything we know about Hillcrest
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hillcrest
About 4 of every 100 Hillcrest residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Hillcrest
Census-designated place in California
Hillcrest is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California. The population was 10,528 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Hillcrest’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Hillcrest.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest | #810 | D− | C− | — | C− | D− |
| Bakersfield | #780 | D− | D− | D | C | C |
| Bakersfield Country Club | — | — | D | — | C− | B+ |
Bakersfield Country Club has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hillcrest and Bakersfield Country Club report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hillcrest with a neighbor →
Questions about Hillcrest
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hillcrest, CA a good place to live?
Hillcrest grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #810 of 841 in California. It grades D− for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Hillcrest, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $273,000, 64% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.