Kern County, California Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Kern County, CA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 91% of counties in California
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 82% of counties in California
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 88% of counties in California
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 915,060 | 39,245,658 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 112.1 | 239.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.61% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 30.5 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 284,923 | 13,531,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Kern County grew by 17.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 915,060 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Kern County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.9% of residents. That is 3.2 points above California as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 228,013 24.9% +3.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 209,706 22.9% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 157,191 17.2% -2.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 112,183 12.3% -3.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below California, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.0% of the people living in Kern County and men 51.0%.
- Women 49.0% California 49.9%
- Men 51.0% California 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Kern County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Kern County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,255 | $99,161 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.42% | 5.57% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.6% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Kern County is about 29% lower than in California.
Housing
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $315,481 | $650,794 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,300 | $2,036 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 60.1% | 55.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Kern County is about 20.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,300 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Kern County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.6 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.1 | 47.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,311 | $6,065 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 17.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,144 | 16,509 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,423 | 2,449 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
California:
Inyo County (11.1 min), Mono County (12.0 min), Del Norte County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Alpine County (31.3 min), San Benito County (31.2 min), Contra Costa County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Kern County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in California.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Kern County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.4% | 33.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.12 | 2.84 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
California:
Marin County (0.5), San Francisco County (0.4), Santa Clara County (0.4).
Lowest:
Colusa County (0.2), Merced County (0.2), Glenn County (0.2).
Health
Kern County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Kern County | California Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.5% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.5% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
California:
San Francisco County (0.8), San Mateo County (0.8), Santa Clara County (0.8).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.8), Imperial County (0.8), Tulare County (0.8).
Kern County, CA 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 household income tells the same story from another angle: $70,255 against a local median of $90,339, 22% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 22% below the local median it puts Kern County, CA at the weaker end of the local range. 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 household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County, CA | 915,060 | $70,255 #6/6 | $315,481 #4/6 | 20.6 min #4/6 |
| Tulare County, CA | 478,693 | $71,104 | $268,486 | 18.6 min |
| Ventura County, CA | 836,943 | $110,868 | $854,285 | 23.0 min |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 9,796,997 | $90,339 | $934,813 | 28.2 min |
| Kings County, CA | 153,298 | $71,135 | $300,000 | 20.1 min |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 443,693 | $98,304 | $555,382 | 17.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kern County, California.
How many people live in Kern County, California?
About 915,060 people live in Kern County, California, in 284,923 households of 3.1 people on average. The median age is 30.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Kern County, California mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Kern County, California has 112 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Kern County, California?
The median home costs 4.5 times the median household income ($315,481 against $70,255), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,300 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Kern County, California?
Unemployment in Kern County, California is 8.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Kern County, California?
16.4% of adults in Kern County, California hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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