Kern County, California Housing Market Prices
Kern County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
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Median home price 52% below the California median Cheaper than 79% of counties in California$315,481
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Median rent 36% below the California median Cheaper than 74% of counties in California$1,300
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $315,481 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 11.5% | 8.9% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $1,300 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 4.7% | 5.8% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Kern County is about 52% lower than in California. Rent is about 36% lower than the California average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in Kern County, up about 11.5% and 4.7% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Kern County rose about 46.6% between 2015 and 2024, from $887 to $1,300. Over the same span, rent in California rose about 62.2%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 4.5 yearly household incomes in Kern County.
Buying the median-priced home in Kern County costs roughly 20.2 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Kern County. The price-to-rent ratio in California is about 26.6.
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $315,481 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $70,255 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 4.5 | 6.6 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Kern County rose about 145.7%, while median household income rose about 45.9% between 2009 and 2025 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 55.7% | 51.7% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 37.1% | 40.8% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 7.2% | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 14.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2012 | 2011 | 2011 |
Kern County has a homeownership rate of 55.7%, higher than the California average of 51.7%. Its housing vacancy rate is 7.2%, compared with 7.5% in California.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 3.12 people | 2.84 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1985 | 1975 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Kern County was built around 1985. On average, 3.1 people live in a home with about 5.2 rooms, staying for about 14.0 years on average.
Kern County, CA Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Kern County, CA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 915,060 residents against a local median of 478,693. Where Kern County, CA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 43% below the local median of $555,382 at $315,481.
Median rent tells the same story from another angle: $1,300 against a local median of $1,953, 33% below it. The counties themselves spread $666,326 on median home price, so Kern County, CA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Kern County, CA has the 4th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 915,060 | $315,481 #4/6 | $1,300 #5/6 | 60.1% #2/6 |
| Tulare County, CA | 478,693 | $268,486 | $1,280 | 58.5% |
| Ventura County, CA | 836,943 | $854,285 | $2,316 | 64.6% |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 9,796,997 | $934,813 | $1,953 | 45.9% |
| Kings County, CA | 153,298 | $300,000 | $1,331 | 54.2% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 443,693 | $555,382 | $2,131 | 52.4% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Kern County, California.
What is the median home price in Kern County, California?
The median home price in Kern County, California is $315,481, lower than the California average of $650,794.
What is the average home price in Kern County, California?
The typical home price in Kern County, California, reported as the median sale price, is $315,481. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Kern County, California?
The median gross rent in Kern County, California is $1,300 per month, lower than the California average of $2,036.
What was the median gross rent in Kern County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Kern County, California was $993 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Kern County, California?
The price-to-rent ratio in Kern County, California is about 20.2, meaning it would take roughly 20.2 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Kern County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Kern County, California?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Kern County, up about 11.5% and 4.7% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Kern County, California?
55.7% of households in Kern County, California own their home, higher than the California average of 51.7%.
What is the vacancy rate in Kern County, California?
The housing vacancy rate in Kern County, California is 7.2%, lower than the California average of 7.5%.
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