COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

Kern County

California · 543,477 residents · 8,135 sq mi

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Kern County is a county of 543,477 people in California. This skews young, with a median age of 29.8. About 13% of adults have finished a four-year degree. That trails the California median by roughly 20%. The population has fallen 18% since 2000. The poverty rate is 16.9%, above the 13.2% national rate.

At a glance

Average income

near the US median

US median: $30,130

Younger

median age 29.8

US median: 33.0

Less educated

13% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

Stable housing

home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

543,477

−18%vs 2000

vs 661,645 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

29.8

−3%vs 2000

vs 30.6 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

8,135 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024915K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 59.6%(52,257)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 99.6%(51,926)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 148%(43,726)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 197.1%(38,327)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 247%(38,032)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3418.4%(99,740)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4414.4%(78,288)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 549.1%(49,288)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 647.2%(39,251)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 746%(32,528)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 843%(16,059)

US avg: 4%

85 and over0.7%(4,055)

US avg: 1.2%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$28,634

+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $35,446 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$12,154

−23%vs 2000

vs $15,760 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

16.9%

−3.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 20.8% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$82,400

+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $89,400 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$440

+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $518 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

59.3%

−2.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 62.1% in 2000

40.7% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000

White, non-Hispanic49.5%(327,190)

Black5.7%(37,845)

Hispanic / Latino38.4%(254,036)

Asian3.2%(21,177)

Other0%

1990

White, non-Hispanic69.8%(379,583)

Black5.5%(29,679)

Hispanic / Latino27.7%(150,558)

Asian3%(16,390)

Other21.7%(117,825)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican50.4%(461,006)

Central American2.8%(25,325)

Salvadoran1.5%(14,137)

Guatemalan0.8%(7,363)

South American0.5%(4,792)

Puerto Rican0.5%(4,629)

Spaniard0.4%(3,410)

Honduran0.3%(2,486)

Peruvian0.2%(2,044)

Cuban0.2%(1,432)

Colombian0.1%(996)

Nicaraguan0.1%(617)

+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data

Dominican0.1%(521)

Venezuelan0.1%(514)

Ecuadorian0.1%(466)

Argentine0%(389)

Costa Rican0%(309)

Chilean0%(202)

Panamanian0%(98)

Uruguayan0%(97)

Bolivian0%(34)

Paraguayan0%(17)

Asian origin

Filipino2.2%(19,684)

Asian Indian1.5%(13,983)

Chinese0.4%(3,635)

Vietnamese0.3%(2,908)

Korean0.2%(1,958)

Japanese0.1%(1,226)

Cambodian0.1%(1,014)

Pakistani0.1%(462)

Thai0%(342)

Laotian0%(296)

Hmong0%(259)

Burmese0%(221)

+ 11 more asian origin groups with data

Bangladeshi0%(167)

Nepalese0%(155)

Indonesian0%(119)

Taiwanese0%(116)

Sri Lankan0%(44)

Kazakh0%(30)

Malaysian0%(27)

Uzbek0%(27)

Mongolian0%(26)

Singaporean0%(13)

Mien0%(10)

Pacific Islander origin

Native Hawaiian0.3%(2,388)

Samoan0.1%(578)

Chamorro0%(449)

Fijian0%(325)

Tongan0%(62)

Guamanian0%(38)

Ancestry

German5.7%(51,740)

English5.6%(50,850)

Irish4.8%(43,877)

American3.5%(31,638)

Italian1.9%(17,688)

Scottish1%(9,579)

French1%(8,974)

Arab0.7%(6,532)

Polish0.6%(5,332)

Dutch0.5%(4,499)

Norwegian0.5%(4,432)

Subsaharan African0.4%(4,110)

+ 47 more ancestry groups with data

Swedish0.4%(3,984)

Scotch-Irish0.4%(3,535)

Portuguese0.4%(3,327)

Welsh0.3%(2,716)

Danish0.2%(2,047)

Russian0.2%(2,002)

British0.2%(1,916)

West Indian0.2%(1,653)

Greek0.2%(1,562)

Armenian0.2%(1,378)

Turkish0.2%(1,376)

Egyptian0.1%(1,227)

Hungarian0.1%(1,219)

Swiss0.1%(1,126)

French Canadian0.1%(1,036)

Czech0.1%(880)

Nigerian0.1%(876)

Ukrainian0.1%(755)

Canadian0.1%(684)

Syrian0.1%(629)

Palestinian0.1%(615)

Ghanaian0.1%(554)

Romanian0.1%(532)

Jamaican0.1%(473)

Lebanese0%(452)

Lithuanian0%(448)

Iranian0%(417)

Croatian0%(408)

Austrian0%(398)

Jordanian0%(374)

Finnish0%(365)

Haitian0%(237)

Belgian0%(212)

Brazilian0%(210)

Slovak0%(209)

Australian0%(183)

Latvian0%(166)

Slovene0%(146)

Moroccan0%(96)

Ethiopian0%(95)

Kenyan0%(90)

Serbian0%(68)

Macedonian0%(65)

Bulgarian0%(30)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(29)

Israeli0%(13)

Guyanese0%(9)

RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

13.3%

−0.2 ptsvs 2000

vs 13.5% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

67.6%

−0.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 68.5% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

4.2%

−0.3 ptsvs 2000

vs 4.5% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

18.5 min

+18%vs 2000

vs 15.7 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

Men 15+

Never married43%(152,950)

Married47.2%(167,852)

Widowed2.2%(7,790)

Divorced7.7%(27,318)

Women 15+

Never married36.1%(124,122)

Married46.4%(159,779)

Widowed7.3%(25,109)

Divorced10.2%(35,103)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

7.8%

−12.4 ptssince 2013

from 20.2% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

42.9%

−1.2 ptssince 2020

from 44.1% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

8.4%

+0.1 ptssince 2020

from 8.3% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

13.5%

+0.7 ptssince 2020

from 12.8% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

40.4%

+1.1 ptssince 2020

from 39.3% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

1.6%

Unchangedsince 2020

from 1.6% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

50.6%

−1.3 ptssince 2020

from 51.9% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

50.3%

+1.6 ptssince 2020

from 48.7% in 2020

US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024

Gulf War (2001 or later)32.6%(10,371)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)22.6%(7,186)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era29.7%(9,448)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War3.1%(997)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II0.6%(189)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 31,813 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

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