Data / Kern County / Profile

Kern County in figures

A profile of Kern County from official statistics: 27 figures in 6 sections, each with its period, its change from a year earlier, its rank among similar places where a ranking exists, and its source.

Figures last updated on 2026-10-12.

People

Population in Kern County was 927,068 in 2025, up 0.3% from 2024, and the 11th highest of 58 counties in California.

Population927,0682025Up 0.3% from 2024The 11th highest of 58 counties in California
Median age32.7 years2024Up 0.3 years from 2023The 5th lowest of 58 counties in California
Population aged 65 and over13.4%2025Up 0.4 percentage points from 2024The 3rd lowest of 58 counties in California
Foreign-born population share20.2%2024Up 0.5 percentage points from 2023
Population density44 inhabitants per km²2025Up 0.3% from 2024
Net domestic migration, July to June-2,6282025, estimatedCompared with -2,626 in 2024
905K910K915K920K925K930K2020202120222023202420252020: 905,960 persons2021: 912,765 persons2022: 917,074 persons2023: 917,599 persons2024: 924,648 persons2025: 927,068 persons
Population, 2020 to 2025. persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B01002: median age, total population; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km²; U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program: net domestic migration, states and counties, July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the reported year; vintage 2020 files for 2011 to 2020 and the latest 2020s vintage from 2021. Population and demography statistics and rankings

Work and income

Unemployment rate in Kern County was 8.4% (provisional) in August 2026, down 0.3 percentage points from August 2025, and the 7th highest of 58 counties in California.

Unemployment rate8.4%August 2026, provisionalDown 0.3 percentage points from August 2025The 7th highest of 58 counties in California
Median household income$70,2102024Up 3.8% from 2023The 17th lowest of 58 counties in California
Per capita personal income$50,6412024Up 6.7% from 2023The 5th lowest of 58 counties in California
Poverty rate (US official measure)18.6%2024Down 0.4 percentage points from 2023
Gini index45.82024Down 0.6 points from 2023
678910112021-072022-042023-012023-102024-072025-042026-082021-07: 10.5 %2021-08: 9.7 %2021-09: 8.4 %2021-10: 7.9 %2021-11: 7.2 %2021-12: 7.4 %2022-01: 8.4 %2022-02: 8.2 %2022-03: 7.9 %2022-04: 7.1 %2022-05: 6.5 %2022-06: 7.2 %2022-07: 6.9 %2022-08: 6.6 %2022-09: 6 %2022-10: 6.3 %2022-11: 6.6 %2022-12: 7 %2023-01: 8.1 %2023-02: 9 %2023-03: 9.2 %2023-04: 8.1 %2023-05: 8 %2023-06: 8.5 %2023-07: 8.3 %2023-08: 8 %2023-09: 7.1 %2023-10: 7.5 %2023-11: 7.6 %2023-12: 8.3 %2024-01: 9 %2024-02: 9.7 %2024-03: 9.7 %2024-04: 8.9 %2024-05: 8.4 %2024-06: 9.2 %2024-07: 9.4 %2024-08: 8.6 %2024-09: 7.5 %2024-10: 7.6 %2024-11: 8 %2024-12: 8.3 %2025-01: 9.1 %2025-02: 9.7 %2025-03: 9.9 %2025-04: 9.3 %2025-05: 8.9 %2025-06: 9.4 %2025-07: 9.3 %2025-08: 8.7 %2025-09: 8.2 %2025-11: 8.1 %2025-12: 8.5 %2026-01: 9.2 %2026-02: 9.5 %2026-03: 9.4 %2026-04: 8.7 %2026-05: 8.3 %2026-06: 8.8 %2026-07: 8.6 %2026-08: 8.4 %
Unemployment rate, July 2021 to August 2026. %. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19013: median household income in the past 12 months; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents; U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100). Labor market statistics and rankings

Economy

GDP (US dollars) in Kern County was $63.07 billion in 2024, up 4.8% from 2023, and the 14th highest of 58 counties in California.

Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars$63.07 billion2024Up 4.8% from 2023The 14th highest of 58 counties in California
GDP per capita, US dollars$68,3662024Up 4.1% from 2023The 28th highest of 58 counties in California
Real GDP growth4.6%2024Down 2.4 percentage points from 2023Tied for the 18th highest of 58 counties in California
10K20K30K40K50K60K70K20012005200920132017202120242001: 19,531.8 USD million2002: 21,670.3 USD million2003: 23,539.7 USD million2004: 27,159 USD million2005: 31,596.4 USD million2006: 36,986.7 USD million2007: 42,631.8 USD million2008: 46,265.8 USD million2009: 39,684.4 USD million2010: 41,785 USD million2011: 43,954.5 USD million2012: 46,508.2 USD million2013: 47,098.7 USD million2014: 47,459.2 USD million2015: 42,329.4 USD million2016: 41,404.3 USD million2017: 43,812.1 USD million2018: 45,646.4 USD million2019: 46,755.3 USD million2020: 45,758.8 USD million2021: 53,106 USD million2022: 57,902.7 USD million2023: 60,180.6 USD million2024: 63,069.7 USD million
Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars, 2001 to 2024. USD million. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions).

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions); Invokely, GDP in current dollars (BEA SAGDP2 and CAGDP1) divided by mid-year population (BEA SAINC1 and CAINC1); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. Economy statistics and rankings

Prices and housing

Median home value in Kern County was $338,300 in 2024, up 8.9% from 2023, and the 10th lowest of 58 counties in California.

Median home value$338,3002024Up 8.9% from 2023The 10th lowest of 58 counties in California
County house price annual change, sales and refinances2%2025Down 2.7 percentage points from 2024The 16th highest of 56 counties in California
Median gross rent (monthly)$1,3002024Up 6.6% from 2023The 14th lowest of 56 counties in California
Homeownership rate (US, housing units)60.1%2024Up 0.3 percentage points from 2023
Housing units authorized by building permits3,1592025, estimatedDown 2.6% from 2024
240K260K280K300K320K340K20212022202320242021: 241,400 USD2022: 282,800 USD2023: 310,600 USD2024: 338,300 USD
Median home value, 2021 to 2024. USD. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units; Federal Housing Finance Agency, FHFA developmental all-transactions county house prices, published annual percent change, nominal, not seasonally adjusted; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: owner-occupied housing units as a percentage of occupied housing units, calculated with stored inputs; U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. Housing statistics and rankings

Business and tourism

Employer firms in Kern County were 10,702 in 2023, up 0.9% from 2022, and the 15th highest of 58 counties in California.

Employer firms10,7022023Up 0.9% from 2022The 15th highest of 58 counties in California
Establishment entry rate11.146%2023Down 2.17 percentage points from 2022The 22nd highest of 57 counties in California
Establishment exit rate9.785%2023Up 0.7 percentage points from 2022The 26th highest of 58 counties in California
Job creation rate12.504%2023Down 7.28 percentage points from 2022
Farms1,6912022No 2021 figure to compare
8,0008,5009,0009,50010K10.5K11K19992003200720112015201920231999: 8,346 count2000: 8,416 count2001: 8,468 count2002: 8,612 count2003: 8,691 count2004: 8,821 count2005: 9,051 count2006: 9,390 count2007: 9,614 count2008: 9,495 count2009: 9,305 count2010: 9,129 count2011: 9,118 count2012: 9,297 count2013: 9,274 count2014: 9,395 count2015: 9,488 count2016: 9,477 count2017: 9,527 count2018: 9,656 count2019: 9,801 count2020: 9,972 count2021: 10,057 count2022: 10,610 count2023: 10,702 count
Employer firms, 1999 to 2023. count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010; U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Companies statistics and rankings

Energy and environment

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Kern County was 70 in 2025, down 2 points from 2024, and the 4th highest of 52 counties in California in 2024.

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA)702025Down 2 points from 2024The 4th highest of 52 counties in California in 2024
Share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI)17.5%2025Down 3.3 percentage points from 2024Tied for the 7th lowest of 52 counties in California in 2024
Average annual temperature63.5 °F2025Down 0.5 °F from 2024The 8th highest of 58 counties in California
608010012014020012005200920132017202120252001: 108 index2002: 125 index2003: 118 index2004: 113 index2005: 93 index2006: 100 index2007: 101 index2008: 107 index2009: 97 index2010: 81 index2011: 84 index2012: 85 index2013: 90 index2014: 97 index2015: 84 index2016: 80 index2017: 85 index2018: 84 index2019: 69 index2020: 83 index2021: 84 index2022: 80 index2023: 69 index2024: 72 index2025: 70 index
Median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2001 to 2025. index. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI.

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts; NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Environment and emissions statistics and rankings

Sources and citations

Each figure comes from the table cited here. Cite the publisher; these citations include any notice the publisher requires.

  1. U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  2. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B01002: median age, total population. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b01002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  3. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program, county population by age and sex (cc-est agesex): residents aged 65 and over as a percentage of the total, 1 July; states and the nation summed from counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/counties/asrh/cc-est2025-agesex-all.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  4. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  5. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program resident population on 1 July divided by land area from the latest Census Gazetteer files, persons per km². https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  6. U.S. Census Bureau. Population Estimates Program: net domestic migration, states and counties, July 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the reported year; vintage 2020 files for 2011 to 2020 and the latest 2020s vintage from 2021. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  7. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  8. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19013: median household income in the past 12 months. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b19013.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  9. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC1: county annual personal income summary, per capita personal income, current dollars, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  10. U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2024/2024-state-and-county/est24all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  11. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B19083: Gini index of household income inequality (coefficient multiplied by 100). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b19083.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  12. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAGDP1: county GDP summary, current-dollar GDP (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions). https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAGDP1.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  13. Invokely calculation from GDP in current dollars (BEA SAGDP2 and CAGDP1) divided by mid-year population (BEA SAINC1 and CAINC1). https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#gdp_per_capita_usd. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  14. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAGDP11: annual percent change in real GDP, all industry total, individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAGDP11.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
  15. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25077: median value (dollars), owner-occupied housing units. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25077.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  16. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). FHFA developmental all-transactions county house prices, published annual percent change, nominal, not seasonally adjusted. https://www.fhfa.gov/hpi/download/annual/hpi_at_county.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  17. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25064: median gross rent (dollars), renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25064.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  18. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25003: owner-occupied housing units as a percentage of occupied housing units, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b25003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau. Building Permits Survey: final annual county estimates of new privately owned housing units authorized, including imputation. https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/co2025a.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  20. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  21. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  22. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  23. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  24. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11. Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
  25. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  26. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  27. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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