La CrestaCA
A town of 8,389.
Is La Cresta a good place to live?
La Cresta grades D− overall, ranked 733rd of 841 in California, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 88% of the country. Its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. La Cresta’s midsummer high is 100°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Only 52 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk.
What makes La Cresta stand out
Where La Cresta beats most towns.
99% of working residents leave La Cresta for work
Where La Cresta’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How La Cresta grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far La Cresta is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to La Cresta: who provides what
La Cresta 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 La Cresta.
La Cresta carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly earthquakes), has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
La Cresta earns a D for health
Against the 5,646 U.S. towns with household incomes like La Cresta’s, it is less healthy than 68%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults 18 to 64 in La Cresta, 22% have no health insurance. Against the California average, La Cresta comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 21. 34% of adults in La Cresta worry about having enough food; 36% get no exercise outside work.
| La Cresta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 22% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 16% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | La Cresta | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.2% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About two in five of La Cresta’s working residents commute to Bakersfield
La Cresta has 319 jobs for its 2,785 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 22.5 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
The top destinations are Bakersfield (42%), Los Angeles (4%) and Oildale (3%). Just 1% of La Cresta’s working residents have a job in town. In La Cresta, a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. The median commute is under 7 miles.
| La Cresta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.1% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
La Cresta: mild winters and hot summers
The Bakersfield Ap weather station records that about 112 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 99.5°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40°.
Snow is a rarity. La Cresta’s January low is 40°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Top of a moderate hazard risk in La Cresta: earthquakes
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 93% of California towns, with expected losses of about $286 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
Of the losses FEMA expects in La Cresta, 61% come from earthquakes and 21% from inland flooding. The FEMA hazard score for La Cresta comes to 48 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Conservation land takes up 0.3% of La Cresta
Just 2 of its 666 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in La Cresta itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
One park or preserve covers 1 acres in La Cresta.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wilkins Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A home in La Cresta sells for about $299K at the median
The median property tax bill is $2,445, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
For households in La Cresta, the share who are owner-occupiers is 43%. The typical rent here is $1,177 a month.
| La Cresta | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,177 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 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Cresta. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Stadium & arenaDignity Health Arena
2 mi MuseumKern County Museum85K visitors a year
37 mi MuseumFort Tejon
27 mi National MonumentCésar E. Chávez National Monument31K visitors a year6 mi Zoo & aquariumCalifornia Living Museum
2 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 La Cresta
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of La Cresta
About 6 of every 100 La Cresta residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About La Cresta
CDP in Kern County, California
La Cresta is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California. The CDP is within Bakersfield's census county division, and is surrounded by the city of Bakersfield on most sides, but borders East Bakersfield to the southeast. Its population was 8,787 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
La Cresta’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with La Cresta.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Cresta | #733 | D− | C− | — | C− | D |
| Bakersfield | #780 | D− | D− | D | C | C |
| East Bakersfield | #775 | D− | C | — | C− | D− |
La Cresta and East Bakersfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare La Cresta with a neighbor →
Questions about La Cresta
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is La Cresta, CA a good place to live?
La Cresta grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #733 of 841 in California. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Is La Cresta, CA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $262,000, 66% 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−.