Kern County
California · Pop. 909,235
Ranked #62 of 200 counties
48Moderate
Median Home Price
🏠$320K
2.5% YoY
Median Rent
🔑$1,200
Median Income
💰$52K
Rent Burden
📊31.0%
% of income to rent
Housing Shortage
🏗️35,000
estimated unit deficit
Building Permits (2024)
📋5,200
Price-to-Income Ratio
⚖️6.2x
Homeownership Rate
🏡56.0%
How Kern County Compares
| Metric | Kern County | California | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Price | $320K | $726K | $410K |
| Rent | $1,200 | $1,992 | $1,500 |
| Income | $52K | $96K | $75K |
| Rent Burden | 31.0% | 40.5% | 30.0% |
| Homeownership | 56.0% | 56.0% | 65.0% |
Key Takeaways
- • Home prices are 22% below the national average.
- • Rent is 20% below the national average.
- • The county has an estimated housing shortage of 35,000 units.
- • 5,200 building permits were issued in 2024.
- • Year-over-year home prices changed by 2.5%.