How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Bakersfield-Delano, CA?

Percentile spread

For Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, the published 10th percentile is $44,540 and the 90th percentile is $70,830. The difference is $26,290, which is 45.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $46,740 to the 75th at $63,020, covers $16,280.

The mean annual wage is $57,300, which sits below the median of $57,490. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Bakersfield-Delano, CA median is 15.7% higher than the national median of $49,690 for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. In 2024 national prices the local median is $56,985, which is 14.7% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 11.4% lower than the California median of $64,890.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Bakersfield-Delano, CA is 100.886, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $57,490 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors at $56,985 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

13 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Bakersfield-Delano, CA ranks 11th of 14 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Visalia, CA is 61 miles away, with a median of $46,090 and employment of 170. That median is 19.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $46,171, against $56,985 here.
• Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA is 72 miles away, with a median of $55,810 and employment of 330. That median is 2.9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $50,491, against $56,985 here.
• Hanford-Corcoran, CA is 79 miles away, with a median of $51,110 and employment of 40. That median is 11.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $50,299, against $56,985 here.

Employment share

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors accounts for 0.07% of wage-and-salary employment in Bakersfield-Delano, CA (220 of 338,230). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (147,240 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.69 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.