Short answer
The Bakersfield metro (Kern County) had 62 staffing agency establishments in 2023, employing 3,974 people on a $161.9 million payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns: 52 temporary help offices and 10 placement or search offices. Farm labor contractors are counted separately and need a California Labor Commissioner license plus federal registration. For any agency, confirm weekly pay, overtime billing and insurance before you sign.
- 62 staffing establishments in Kern County employ 3,974 people, 64.1 per location on average.
- The 52 temp help offices report 2,998 employees; Census counts temps on the agency's payroll, not the client's.
- Kern's 12 farm labor contractor establishments, counted separately, reported 1,429 employees in one week of March 2023.
- California requires temp agencies to pay assigned workers at least weekly, and daily for some dispatched day labor.
- In the worked example, covering 600 crew-hours with 15 workers on 8-hour days costs $2,520 a week less than 10 workers on 6 10-hour days.
On this page
- Bakersfield staffing agencies in Census data
- Few offices, large payrolls
- The farm labor contractors aren't in these numbers
- California rules for temp work in Kern
- Worked example: 600 crew-hours a week, three ways
- How to choose an agency in Bakersfield
- Selling to Bakersfield staffing agencies
- Local sources
- Sources
- Questions people ask
This report is for Kern County employers using or choosing an agency, job seekers comparing agencies and contractors, and B2B sellers whose customers are staffing firms.
Bakersfield staffing agencies in Census data
The Bakersfield-Delano, CA Metro Area (CBSA 12540) is one county, Kern. The figures cover NAICS 56131 (Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services) and NAICS 56132 (Temporary Help Services) from the US Census Bureau's County Business Patterns 2023.
| Measure (2023) | Bakersfield metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 62 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 3,974 |
| Annual payroll | $161,937,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 64.1 |
| Average annual pay | $40,749 |
| Share of US establishments | 0.12% of 51,830 |
Few offices, large payrolls
| Industry (2023) | Establishments | Employees | Annual payroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary help services (56132) | 52 | 2,998 | $138,285,000 |
| Placement and executive search (56131) | 10 | 976 | $23,652,000 |
The numbers look large for 62 offices because a temp agency is the legal employer of the people it places: a forklift driver sent to a distribution center in Shafter is on the agency's payroll, so Census counts him in staffing. The 10 placement and search offices are unusual. Placement firms usually employ only recruiters, yet these report 976 employees, so at least one of them carries far more staff than a typical recruiting office.
With so few offices, the Census Bureau publishes only one size class for the two codes combined: 10 establishments with 50 to 99 employees. The temp help rows add detail: 12 temp offices have fewer than 5 employees, 8 have 10 to 19, 12 have 20 to 49, 7 have 50 to 99 and 9 have 100 to 249. The rest of the classes aren't published.
County Business Patterns counts establishments with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out self-employed recruiters. Professional employer organizations (NAICS 56133, 7 more establishments in Kern) aren't included. The headcount is the week of March 12.
The farm labor contractors aren't in these numbers
The Census Bureau classifies businesses that supply farm labor as farm labor contractors (NAICS 115115), not temporary help. In Kern County that industry had 12 establishments with 1,429 employees and a $44.6 million payroll in 2023. March is early in the growing season, so the count likely understates the crews contractors field at harvest.
The licensing differs too. California's Labor Code section 1683 says a person may not act as a farm labor contractor until the Labor Commissioner has issued a license, and federal law adds a separate certificate of registration from the US Department of Labor under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. Both lists are searchable, so check both before a grower signs a crew contract.
California rules for temp work in Kern
| Rule | What it says | What to ask the agency |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly pay (Labor Code 201.3) | A temporary services employer must pay assigned workers at least weekly, by the regular payday of the following week. Workers dispatched for the day from the agency's office and returned there are paid at the end of each day, except in executive, administrative, professional or clerical work. Farm labor contractors are excluded from this section. | Your pay day, and whether day assignments are paid daily |
| Daily overtime (Labor Code 510) | Overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, and for the first 8 hours on the seventh day of work in a workweek; double time after 12 hours in a day | How overtime hours are billed: usually 1.5 times the bill rate |
| Minimum wage | $16.90 an hour statewide | The pay rate behind each bill rate |
| Client liability (Labor Code 2810.3) | A client using workers from a labor contractor shares liability for their wages and workers' compensation coverage, subject to size thresholds | Proof the agency pays correctly and is insured; see the California report |
Worked example: 600 crew-hours a week, three ways
Illustrative example. The company, pay rate and markup are invented; the overtime rules are California's.
Kern Valley Distribution (kernvalley.example) needs 600 hours of warehouse labor a week through peak. The agency pays $18.00 an hour at a 40% markup, a $25.20 bill rate, and bills overtime hours at $37.80.
| Schedule | Hours per worker | Regular and overtime hours | Cost per worker | Weekly cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 workers, 6 days of 10 hours | 60 | 40 regular, 20 overtime (12 daily, 8 weekly) | $1,764.00 | $17,640.00 |
| 12 workers, 5 days of 10 hours | 50 | 40 regular, 10 overtime (daily) | $1,386.00 | $16,632.00 |
| 15 workers, 5 days of 8 hours | 40 | 40 regular | $1,008.00 | $15,120.00 |
The third schedule costs $2,520 a week less than the first for the same hours, about $30,000 over a 12-week peak. The agency has to find five more workers, so ask what fill rate it can commit to before you plan on it.
How to choose an agency in Bakersfield
- Name the work. Field and harvest crews point to a licensed farm labor contractor; warehouse, plant and office work to a temp agency; permanent roles to a placement firm.
- Check the licenses that apply: the Labor Commissioner's farm labor contractor search and the federal registered contractor listing for crews, the Secretary of State's business search for everyone.
- Get pay day, overtime billing and the bill rate breakdown in writing.
- Get insurance certificates for workers' compensation and general liability that name your company.
- Read reviews on ClearlyRated's Bakersfield listings and call two local references.
Job seekers: California temp agencies must pay you at least weekly, and if you're sent out from the office for the day and come back, at the end of that day for most non-office jobs.
Selling to Bakersfield staffing agencies
The market is small enough to know every account. Start with the 9 temp offices of 100 to 249 employees and the 7 of 50 to 99: they buy timekeeping that handles daily overtime, payroll that runs weekly and daily, safety and heat training, worker transport and workers' compensation. Farm labor contractors are a separate list with similar needs and their own license data. Bebop can find the firms on either list that match your description and draft the first email. For the freight side of the county, see trucking companies in Bakersfield, and for method, how to build a prospect list.
Subject: Weekly and daily pay runs at [agency] Hi [first name], I saw [agency] is filling [number] warehouse roles around [town] this month. California makes temp agencies pay weekly, and daily for some dispatched work, and that's a lot of pay runs for a branch your size. We handle weekly and same-day pay with pay cards and send the statements to your payroll file. Would it help to compare it with how you run payroll now? [Your name]
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| DIR license and registration search | California farm labor contractor licenses, denials and revocations |
| MSPA registered farm labor contractors | Federal certificates, expiration dates and housing or transport authorizations |
| California Secretary of State business search | Entity status and agent for service of process |
| ClearlyRated: Bakersfield staffing | Agencies with client and job seeker ratings |
| ASA member directory | Association members by location and job field |
Next step: compare Kern with the state as a whole in staffing agencies in California.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- County Business Patterns methodology, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- 2022 NAICS Descriptions (561320 Temporary Help Services; 115115 Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- California Labor Code section 1683, Public.Law, from California Legislative Information, accessed 30 October 2026
- California Labor Code section 201.3, Public.Law, from California Legislative Information, accessed 30 October 2026
- California Labor Code section 510, Public.Law, from California Legislative Information, accessed 30 October 2026
- Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, accessed 30 October 2026
- License and Registration Search Databases, California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor Commissioner's Office, accessed 30 October 2026
- State Minimum Wage Laws, US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, updated 1 July 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Best Bakersfield Staffing Agencies, ClearlyRated, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many staffing agencies are there in Bakersfield?
Census County Business Patterns counted 62 staffing agency establishments in the Bakersfield-Delano metro area, which is Kern County, in 2023. They employed 3,974 people: 52 temporary help offices with 2,998 employees and 10 placement or search offices with 976. Farm labor contractors are counted in a different industry, and the count covers locations with paid employees, not companies.
What's the difference between a farm labor contractor and a staffing agency?
A farm labor contractor supplies workers for agricultural work such as planting, pruning and harvest, and needs a license from the California Labor Commissioner plus a federal certificate of registration. A temp staffing agency supplies workers for non-farm jobs such as warehouses, plants and offices. The Census Bureau classifies them separately, NAICS 115115 for farm labor contractors and 561320 for temporary help.
Do temp agencies in California have to pay weekly?
Yes. Labor Code section 201.3 requires a temporary services employer to pay wages for assigned work at least weekly, by the regular payday of the following week. If you're dispatched from the agency's office for the day and return there afterward, wages are due at the end of each day, unless the work is executive, administrative, professional or clerical. Farm labor contractors follow other rules.
Do temp workers get daily overtime in California?
Yes. Under Labor Code section 510, non-exempt employees, including temps, earn 1.5 times their regular rate after 8 hours in a workday or 40 in a workweek, and for the first 8 hours on the seventh day worked in a workweek. Hours over 12 in a day earn double time. Agencies commonly bill overtime hours to the client at 1.5 times the bill rate.
How do I check a farm labor contractor's license?
Use the California Department of Industrial Relations license and registration search for the state farm labor contractor license, which also lists denials, revocations and suspensions. Then check the US Department of Labor's registered farm labor contractor listing, which shows the federal certificate, its expiration date and whether the contractor may house or transport workers. A contractor needs both.