Kern County, California
Population 915,075 · Bakersfield, Delano, Ridgecrest
- Overall cost of living: +0.9% vs the US average, higher than 92% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 0 in, the lowest in the US.
- PM2.5 air pollution: 17.7 µg/m³, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+0.9% | higher than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $338,300 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,300 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $185/mo | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,873/yr | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7.25% | the highest in the US |
| State income tax | 9.3% | the highest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,984 | higher than 84% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $70,210 | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 9% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +4.2% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 241.5 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈305 days | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 97°F | higher than 98% of US counties |
| January low | 37°F | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in | the lowest in the US |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 110 days | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 17 days | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 34.3% of weeks | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈40.1°F | lower than 96% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 7.4 in | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $193/yr | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $86/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $85/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.08/yr | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $22/yr | higher than 90% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 17.7 µg/m³ | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 67.3 mi | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈7,199.5 ft | higher than 99% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 77% | lower than 97% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 18.8% | lower than 68% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.5% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 22.3:1 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 84.6% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.43 | lower than 87% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 6.99 | lower than 83% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.55 | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 0.7 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 49/100k | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.2★ | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 74.5 yrs | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 9.3% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 260/100k | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 55/100k | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 85.3% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 26 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 139 min | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 91.6% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.4% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 7.5% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 22 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 63 per sq mi | higher than 86% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 5.5 per 1k | higher than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 19.8 per 1k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Population | 915,075 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Median age | 32.7 | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -3 per 1k/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 38.2% Dem | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 59.3% Rep | lower than 73% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.5% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % White | 29.6% | lower than 96% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 56.5% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Black | 4.8% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Asian | 5.1% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 1665 parks | higher than 98% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.9 | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 1.7 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 24 min | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.4% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 26 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 34 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,181 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 38 km | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 66 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 57 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 11 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 17 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 24 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 120 km | higher than 87% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data