Bakersfield is a charter city in Kern County, United States, California. It is the provincial seat and Kern County's largest city. The town occupies approximately 151 sq mi at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and Central Valley. The population of Bakersfield is about 380,000, making it the 53rd most populated city in the USA and the 9th most populous city in California. The Bakersfield ? Delano Metropolitan Statistical Area, including all of Kern County, had a population of over 839,000 making it the 62nd largest metropolitan area in the United States. Historic and primary industries of Bakersfield have been linked to two main industries of Kern County, oil and agriculture. Kern County is a part of the highly productive San Joaquin Valley, which ranks among the nation's top five most productive agricultural counties.