Kern County, California

County in CA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

915,075

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

32.7

years ∙ half population younger than 32.7, half older

Diversity Index

58.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

20.2%

foreign-born population

79.8%Native

20.2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Kern County is a county in California, United States.

Location

County in CA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC35.346629° N, 118.729506° W

DMS35° 20′ 47.86″ N, 118° 43′ 46.22″ W

Population Density & area

112.5/sq mi (43.43/km²)

Total Area

8,165 sq mi (21,147 km²)

Land Area

8,135 sq mi (21,069 km²) · 99.63%

Water Area

30 sq mi (78 km²) · 0.37%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.9% male

Male 50.9%

Female 49.1%

males per 100 females

Kern County 103.6

California 99.8

United States 98

Nativity

20.2%

foreign-born population

79.8%Native

20.2% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Kern County 20.2%

California 27%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

32.7

years ∙ half population younger than 32.7, half older

Kern County

32.7

California

37.9

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

67.9

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Kern County 67.9

California 60.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Kern County	California	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	28.6%	22%	22%
Working age (18-64)	59.5%	62.3%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	11.9%	15.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	67.9	60.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	48	35.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	19.9	25.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

29.6%

Black

4.8%

Asian

5.1%

Hispanic

56.5%

Other

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

58.7%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Kern County 58.7%

California 69.6%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Kern County population

Racial and ethnic composition — Kern County vs California vs United States. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
	Kern County	California	United States
Hispanic or Latino	56.5%	40.2%	19.3%
Mexican	50.4%	32.3%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.5%	0.6%	1.8%
Cuban	0.2%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	5.4%	7%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	43.5%	59.8%	80.7%
One race	40.5%	55.4%	76.4%
White	29.6%	33.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	4.8%	5.2%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.3%	0.3%	0.5%
Asian	5.1%	15.3%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.3%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.6%	0.6%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3%	4.4%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

74% family

Family 74%

Non family 26%

% family households

Kern County 74%

California 67.8%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

3.12

persons per household

Kern County

3.12

California

2.84

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Kern County population

	Kern County	California	United States
Total households	284,931	13,548,091	129,227,496
Average houshold size	3.12	2.84	2.53
Family households	210,851	9,191,176	82,990,528
Average family size	3.63	3.41	3.14
Married couple family	137,549	6,557,184	60,637,388
Other families	73,302	2,633,992	22,353,140
Male householder	24,121	857,732	6,572,819
Female householder	49,181	1,776,260	15,780,321
Non-family households	74,080	4,356,915	46,236,968
One-person households	58,746	3,289,307	37,140,836
Male householder	29,128	1,493,062	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	9,176	460,668	5,225,110
Female householder	29,618	1,796,245	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	15,043	886,142	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	15,334	1,067,608	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

306,999

housing units

Kern County 306,999

California 14,644,735

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

92.8% occupied

Occupied 92.8%

Vacant 7.2%

vacancy rate

Kern County 7.2%

California 7.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

75.2%

Single family houses

75.2%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

17.3%

Mobile homes

7.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.2%

Median Year Built

1985

Half of houses were built before 1985, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

4.1%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

23.1%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

45.2%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

27.5%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Kern County	California	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.2	5	5.5
1–3 rooms	13.9%	21%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	63.3%	54.7%	51.6%
7+ rooms	22.7%	24.4%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.6%	5%	2.9%
1 bedroom	6.8%	13.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	24.1%	26.9%	25%
3 bedrooms	43.4%	32.8%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	23%	22.1%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1985	1976	1981
Total housing units	306,999	14,644,735	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

60.1% owners

Renter-occupied 39.9%

Owner-occupied 60.1%

homeownership rate

Kern County 60.1%

California 55.9%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

3.16

Owner-occupied

3.06

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Kern County 3.16

California 2.95

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Kern County	California	United States
Total occupied units	284,931	13,548,091	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	22.9%	23.4%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	46.1%	41.2%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	16.8%	17%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	14.2%	18.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	90.2%	91.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	6.7%	5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	3%	3.2%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	6.7%	7.1%	8.4%
1 vehicle	29.3%	30.7%	33.1%
2 vehicles	37.3%	36.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	26.7%	25.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	62.6%	64.4%	51.4%
Electricity	31.2%	29.5%	41.3%
Solar	2.3%	1.2%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.1%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	2.4%	1.6%	2%
No fuel used	1.4%	3%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.5%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1.1%	1.2%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.2%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$338,300

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Kern County

$338,300

California

$734,700

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

36.3%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

36.3%

Owners without a mortgage

17.3%

Renters

56.5%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Kern County	California	United States
Property value
Median Value	$338,300	$734,700	$332,700
Under $100,000	7.7%	4.2%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	9.8%	2.7%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	22.6%	4.3%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	42.8%	17.1%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	14.9%	42.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	2.1%	29.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	66%	67.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	34%	32.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,968	$2,946	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$631	$829	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,300	$2,036	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

18.8%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Kern County 18.8%

California 37.1%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

23%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Kern County 23%

California 15.2%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

263,996

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

4.2%

K–12

74.7%

College / Undergraduate

17.7%

Graduate / Professional

3.4%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

32.1%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Kern County

32.1%

California

46.8%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Kern County	California	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	263,996	9,917,839	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	4.2%	5%	5.7%
K–12	74.7%	64.9%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.3%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	22.2%	18.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	23.1%	19.9%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	24.2%	21.5%	21.7%
College or graduate school	21.1%	30.1%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	17.7%	24.3%	21%
Graduate, professional school	3.4%	5.8%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	32.1%	46.8%	40.9%
School type
Public school	90.7%	85%	82%
Private school	9.3%	15%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

563,569

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

12.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

10.1%

HS graduate

27.9%

Some college no degree

22.6%

Associates degree

7.7%

Bachelors degree

12.3%

Graduate or professional degree

6.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

52.4% · 47.6%

9th-12th, no diploma

56.9% · 43.1%

HS graduate

54.2% · 45.8%

Some college no degree

49.5% · 50.5%

Associates degree

41.7% · 58.3%

Bachelors degree

45.1% · 54.9%

Graduate or professional degree

46.6% · 53.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Kern County	California	United States
Population (25+)	563,569	27,073,960	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	12.9%	8.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	10.1%	6.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	27.9%	20.5%	26%
Some college, no degree	22.6%	19.3%	19.1%
Associate's degree	7.7%	7.9%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.8%	37.1%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	12.3%	22.7%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.5%	14.4%	14.1%
High School or higher	77%	84.7%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$42,429

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$28,019

HS graduate

$37,931

Some college or associates

$44,929

Bachelors degree

$70,034

Graduate or professional degree

$95,862

Poverty Rate

6.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

26.3%

HS graduate

17%

Some college or associates

13.4%

Bachelors degree or higher

6.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Kern County	California	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$42,429	$56,395	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$28,019	$32,480	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$37,931	$41,382	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$44,929	$50,157	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$70,034	$80,933	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$95,862	$111,188	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	26.3%	20%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	17%	13.9%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	13.4%	10.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	6.5%	5%	4.5%

Insights for Kern County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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