How dark is the sky in Shafter, CA?

Shafter's sky measures rural here. Little local light dome. Most stars are visible; the Milky Way is faint but often findable away from town lights. Shafter's sky is brighter than 2.1% of the 3,206 cities in this dataset.

Worth remembering: this is satellite radiance, not a ground observation. A true Bortle rating needs a human eye at night, this is the closest large-scale substitute.

How far Shafter is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Avenal, CA, roughly 64 miles away in a straight line, rated dark sky. Road distance will be more.

Avenal, CA is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.

Shafter against the rest of the dataset

Shafter, CA has a population of about 22,754, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Shafter ranks 67 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.