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Wasco, CA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
26,558
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
30.6
years ∙ half population younger than 30.6, half older
Diversity Index
23%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
29.8%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Wasco is a city within Kern County, California, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC35.593785° N, 119.367101° W
DMS35° 35′ 37.63″ N, 119° 22′ 01.56″ W
Population Density & area
2,828/sq mi
(1,092/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
58.1%
male
Male
58.1%
Female
41.9%
males per 100 females
Wasco
138.9
Kern County
103.6
California
99.8
Nativity
29.8%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Wasco
29.8%
Kern County
20.2%
California
27%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
30.6
years ∙ half population younger than 30.6, half older
Dependency ratio
53.3
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Wasco
53.3
Kern County
67.9
California
60.4
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 28.4% | 28.6% | 22% |
| Working age (18-64) | 65.2% | 59.5% | 62.3% |
| Senior (65+) | 6.4% | 11.9% | 15.7% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 53.3 | 67.9 | 60.4 |
| Child dependency ratio | 43.5 | 48 | 35.2 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 9.8 | 19.9 | 25.1 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
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
23%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Wasco
23%
Kern County
58.7%
California
69.6%
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 Wasco population
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 87.4% | 56.5% | 40.2% |
| Mexican | 82.1% | 50.4% | 32.3% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Cuban | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 4.3% | 5.4% | 7% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 12.6% | 43.5% | 59.8% |
| One race | 11.9% | 40.5% | 55.4% |
| White | 6.7% | 29.6% | 33.8% |
| Black or African American | 4.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Asian | 0.5% | 5.1% | 15.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Some Other Race | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 0.7% | 3% | 4.4% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
83.4%
family
Family
83.4%
Non family
16.6%
% family households
Wasco
83.4%
Kern County
74%
California
67.8%
Average household size
3.57
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Wasco population
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 6,342 | 284,931 | 13,548,091 |
| Average houshold size | 3.57 | 3.12 | 2.84 |
| Family households | 5,289 | 210,851 | 9,191,176 |
| Average family size | 3.92 | 3.63 | 3.41 |
| Married couple family | 3,261 | 137,549 | 6,557,184 |
| Other families | 2,028 | 73,302 | 2,633,992 |
| Male householder | 812 | 24,121 | 857,732 |
| Female householder | 1,216 | 49,181 | 1,776,260 |
| Non-family households | 1,053 | 74,080 | 4,356,915 |
| One-person households | 963 | 58,746 | 3,289,307 |
| Male householder | 455 | 29,128 | 1,493,062 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 215 | 9,176 | 460,668 |
| Female householder | 508 | 29,618 | 1,796,245 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 252 | 15,043 | 886,142 |
| Other living arrangements | 90 | 15,334 | 1,067,608 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
6,763
housing units
Wasco
6,763
Kern County
306,999
California
14,644,735
Occupancy status
93.8%
occupied
Occupied
93.8%
Vacant
6.2%
vacancy rate
Wasco
6.2%
Kern County
7.2%
California
7.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
79.3%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1985
Half of houses were built before 1985, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 4.9 | 5.2 | 5 |
| 1–3 rooms | 13.2% | 13.9% | 21% |
| 4–6 rooms | 74.4% | 63.3% | 54.7% |
| 7+ rooms | 12.3% | 22.7% | 24.4% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 2.9% | 2.6% | 5% |
| 1 bedroom | 5.6% | 6.8% | 13.2% |
| 2 bedrooms | 24.4% | 24.1% | 26.9% |
| 3 bedrooms | 48.6% | 43.4% | 32.8% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 18.6% | 23% | 22.1% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1985 | 1985 | 1976 |
| Total housing units | 6,763 | 306,999 | 14,644,735 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
58.3%
owners
Renter-occupied
41.7%
Owner-occupied
58.3%
homeownership rate
Wasco
58.3%
Kern County
60.1%
California
55.9%
Average household size
3.89
Owner-occupied
3.13
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Wasco
3.89
Kern County
3.16
California
2.95
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 6,342 | 284,931 | 13,548,091 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 16.7% | 22.9% | 23.4% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 55.3% | 46.1% | 41.2% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 13.2% | 16.8% | 17% |
| 1999 or earlier | 14.8% | 14.2% | 18.5% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 86.5% | 90.2% | 91.8% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 9.2% | 6.7% | 5% |
| 1.51 or more | 4.3% | 3% | 3.2% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 3.1% | 6.7% | 7.1% |
| 1 vehicle | 32.3% | 29.3% | 30.7% |
| 2 vehicles | 37.2% | 37.3% | 36.3% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 27.4% | 26.7% | 25.8% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 70.2% | 62.6% | 64.4% |
| Electricity | 25.9% | 31.2% | 29.5% |
| Solar | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1.2% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| All other fuels | 0% | 2.4% | 1.6% |
| No fuel used | 1.4% | 1.4% | 3% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| No telephone service available | 0.3% | 1.2% | 0.9% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$273,600
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
41.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
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
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $273,600 | $338,300 | $734,700 |
| Under $100,000 | 14.5% | 7.7% | 4.2% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 9.3% | 9.8% | 2.7% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 38.5% | 22.6% | 4.3% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 36.7% | 42.8% | 17.1% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 0.5% | 14.9% | 42.1% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0.5% | 2.1% | 29.6% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 61.4% | 66% | 67.4% |
| Without a mortgage | 38.6% | 34% | 32.6% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,481 | $1,968 | $2,946 |
| Without a mortgage | $468 | $631 | $829 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,089 | $1,300 | $2,036 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
6.2%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Wasco
6.2%
Kern County
18.8%
California
37.1%
Adults without a high school diploma
37.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Wasco
37.5%
Kern County
23%
California
15.2%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
7,083
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
26.8%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 7,083 | 263,996 | 9,917,839 |
| Nursery / preschool | 3% | 4.2% | 5% |
| K–12 | 76.9% | 74.7% | 64.9% |
| Kindergarten | 5.8% | 5.3% | 4.9% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 25.3% | 22.2% | 18.7% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 24.5% | 23.1% | 19.9% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 21.2% | 24.2% | 21.5% |
| College or graduate school | 20.1% | 21.1% | 30.1% |
| College, undergraduate | 18.7% | 17.7% | 24.3% |
| Graduate, professional school | 1.4% | 3.4% | 5.8% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 26.8% | 32.1% | 46.8% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 94.9% | 90.7% | 85% |
| Private school | 5.1% | 9.3% | 15% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
16,262
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 16,262 | 563,569 | 27,073,960 |
| Less than 9th grade | 23.9% | 12.9% | 8.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 13.6% | 10.1% | 6.5% |
| High school diploma or GED | 33.8% | 27.9% | 20.5% |
| Some college, no degree | 18.8% | 22.6% | 19.3% |
| Associate's degree | 3.6% | 7.7% | 7.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 6.2% | 18.8% | 37.1% |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.9% | 12.3% | 22.7% |
| Graduate or professional | 1.3% | 6.5% | 14.4% |
| High School or higher | 62.4% | 77% | 84.7% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$34,791
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
11.1%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Wasco | Kern County | California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $34,791 | $42,429 | $56,395 |
| Less than high school graduate | $27,042 | $28,019 | $32,480 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $37,984 | $37,931 | $41,382 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $35,690 | $44,929 | $50,157 |
| Bachelor's degree | $41,221 | $70,034 | $80,933 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $82,886 | $95,862 | $111,188 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 25.2% | 26.3% | 20% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 9.5% | 17% | 13.9% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 16.5% | 13.4% | 10.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.1% | 6.5% | 5% |
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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