Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield.

Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county spans the southern end of the Central Valley. Covering 8,161.42 square miles (21,138.0 km), it ranges west to the southern slope of the Coast Ranges, and east beyond the southern slope of the eastern Sierra Nevada into the Mojave Desert, at the city of Ridgecrest. Its northernmost city is Delano, and its southern reach extends to just beyond Frazier Park, and the northern extremity of the parallel Antelope Valley.

The county's economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction. There is also a strong aviation, space, and military presence, such as Edwards Air Force Base, the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, and the Mojave Air and Space Port.

With a population that is 54.9% Hispanic as of 2020, Kern is California's third-most populous majority-Hispanic county and the sixth-largest nationwide.

Native Americans lived in this region for hundreds of years: Chumash, tribes grouped together under the settler name Yokuts, and others.

Spain claimed the area in 1769. Entering from Grapevine Canyon to the south in 1772, Commander Don Pedro Fages became the first European to set foot in the area.

The Battle of San Emigdio took place in Kern County in March 1824. The Chumash Native Americans of Mission Santa Barbara rebelled against the Mexican government and its taking over mission property and ejecting the natives. The battle occurred in the canyon where San Emigdio Creek flows down San Emigdio Mountain and the Blue Ridge, south of Bakersfield near today's Highway 166. Mexican forces from Monterey were commanded by Carlos Carrillo and the conflict was a low-casualty encounter, with only four Native Americans being killed and no Mexicans. The surviving Native Americans were pacified and brought back to Santa Barbara in June 1824 after a pursuit and negotiation in which many were allowed to keep their arms for the return march over the mountains.

In the beginning, what was to become Kern County was dominated by mining in the mountains and in the desert. In 1855 the California legislature attempted to form a county in the area by giving the southeastern territory of Tulare County on the west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Buena Vista County. However, it was never officially organized prior to 1859, when the enabling legislation expired. The south of Tulare County was later organized as Kern County in 1866, with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Its first county seat was the mining town of Havilah, in the mountains east of Bakersfield and north of Tehachapi.

Settlers considered the flat land of the valley inhospitable and impassable at the time due to swamps, lakes, tule reeds and diseases such as malaria. This changed when residents started draining land for farming and constructing canals, most dug by hired Chinese laborers. Within 10 years the valley surpassed the mining areas as the economic power of the county, and as a result the county seat was moved from Havilah to Bakersfield in 1874.

In 1899, the discovery well of the Kern River Oil Field was dug by hand and soon the towns of Oil City, Oil Center and Oildale came into existence.

The county derives its name from the Kern River, which was named for Edward Kern, cartographer for General John C. Frémont's 1845 expedition, which crossed Walker Pass. The Kern River was originally named Rio Bravo de San Felipe by Father Francisco Garcés when he explored the area in 1776.

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Throughout recorded history, severe earthquakes have struck Kern County, including the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake.

On July 21, 1952, an earthquake occurred with the epicenter about 23 miles (37 km) south of Bakersfield. It measured 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale and killed 12 people. In addition to the deaths, it was responsible for hundreds of injuries and more than $60 million in property damage. The main shock was felt over much of California and as far away as Phoenix, Arizona and Reno, Nevada. The earthquake occurred on the White Wolf Fault and was the strongest to occur in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Tehachapi suffered the greatest damage and loss of life from the earthquake, though its effects were widely felt throughout central and southern California. The event had a significant aftershock sequence that persisted into July and August with the strongest coming on August 22, an M5.8 event with a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) and resulted in two additional deaths and an additional $10 million in property damage. Repercussions of the sequence of earthquakes were still being felt in the heavily damaged downtown area of Bakersfield well into the 1990s as city leaders attempted to improve safety of the surviving non-reinforced masonry buildings.

Following the event, a field survey was conducted along the fault zone with the goal of estimating the peak ground acceleration of the shock based on visually evaluating rock formations and other indicators. Ground disturbances that were created by the earthquakes were also surveyed, both in the valley and in the foothills, with both vertical and horizontal displacements present in the epicenter area. The motion records that were acquired from the event were significant, and a reconnaissance report was recognized for its coverage of the event, and its setting a standard for similar engineering or scientific papers.

Between 1983 and 1986, several ritual sex ring child abuse cases occurred in Kern County, resulting in numerous long prison sentences, all of which were overturned—some of them decades later, because the prosecutors had coerced false testimonies from the purported child victims. The details of these false accusations are covered extensively in the 2008 documentary Witch Hunt, narrated by Sean Penn.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 8,163 square miles (21,140 km), of which 8,132 square miles (21,060 km) is land and 31 square miles (80 km) (0.4%) is water. It is the third-largest county by area in California. The tallest peak in the county is Sawmill Mountain with an elevation of 8822 ft. Its area is nearly the size of the state of New Hampshire; it extends:

• East beyond the southern slope of the Sierra Nevada range into the Mojave Desert, and includes parts of the Indian Wells Valley and Antelope Valley.
• West from the Sierra across the floor of the San Joaquin Valley to the eastern edge of the Temblor Range, part of the Coast Ranges.
• South over the ridge of the Tehachapi Mountains.

Kern County suffers from severe air pollution. Particulates cause poor visibility, especially in the winter. Western Kern County lies in the San Joaquin Valley and the topography traps pollutants. Although the topography is not as unfavorable in eastern Kern County, eastern Kern County is a non-attainment area for particulates. Air pollution caused by particulates is "in the unhealthy range an average of 40 days a year, according to the American Lung Association's (ALA) 2018 State of the Air Report.

Chaparral comprises a considerable portion of the natural area within Kern County; the species diversity within these chaparral habitats, however, is considerably less than in many other regions of California. Whitethorn is a prominent example of chaparral species on the rocky slopes of the Sierra Nevada as well as the Inner Coastal Ranges. California Buckeye is a notable tree found in both chaparral and forests and whose southern range terminates in Kern County.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	2,925		—
1880	5,601		91.5%
1890	9,808		75.1%
1900	16,480		68.0%
1910	37,715		128.9%
1920	54,843		45.4%
1930	82,570		50.6%
1940	135,124		63.6%
1950	228,309		69.0%
1960	291,984		27.9%
1970	329,162		12.7%
1980	403,089		22.5%
1990	543,477		34.8%
2000	661,645		21.7%
2010	839,631		26.9%
2020	909,235		8.3%
2023 (est.)	913,820		0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

According to the 2020 United States census, Kern County's population was 909,235. It was the eleventh-largest county by population in California. The center of population of California is located in Kern County, in the town of Buttonwillow.

Kern County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 1990	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	340,892	327,190	323,794	279,600	62.72%	49.45%	38.56%	30.75%
Black or African American alone (NH)	28,851	37,845	45,377	46,776	5.31%	5.72%	5.40%	5.14%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	5,620	5,885	5,893	5,197	1.03%	0.89%	0.70%	0.57%
Asian alone (NH)	14,879	21,177	33,100	44,257	2.74%	3.20%	3.94%	4.87%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	N/A	728	995	1,127	N/A	0.11%	0.12%	0.12%
Other Race alone (NH)	1,240	989	1,472	4,557	0.23%	0.15%	0.18%	0.50%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	N/A	13,795	15,967	28,563	N/A	2.08%	1.90%	3.14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	151,995	254,036	413,033	499,158	27.97%	38.39%	49.19%	54.90%
Total	543,477	661,645	839,631	909,235	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

According to the 2020 United States census:

• Hispanic (54.9%)
• White Non-Hispanic (30.8%)
• Black (5.5%)
• Asian (5.1%)
• Two or more races (16.1%)
• Indigenous (2.0%)
• Some other race (30.2%)

(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics may be counted in any race.)

Population, race, and income
Total population	829,254
White	572,420	69.0%
Black or African American	47,008	5.7%
American Indian or Alaska Native	9,132	1.1%
Asian	33,179	4.0%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	914	0.1%
Some other race	136,534	16.5%
Two or more races	30,067	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	402,444	48.5%
Per capita income	$20,167
Median household income	$48,021
Median family income	$52,041

Places by population and race
Place	Type	Population	White	Other	Asian	Black or African American	Native American	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Arvin	City	18,809	65.9%	32.0%	0.6%	0.4%	1.1%	91.0%
Bakersfield	City	339,761	62.9%	21.9%	5.9%	8.2%	1.1%	44.5%
Bear Valley Springs	CDP	5,273	90.5%	7.1%	1.8%	0.4%	0.1%	8.9%
Bodfish	CDP	1,982	91.2%	1.7%	0.0%	0.0%	7.2%	4.8%
Boron	CDP	2,323	84.1%	5.4%	0.0%	10.2%	0.3%	14.9%
Buttonwillow	CDP	1,449	76.3%	20.9%	0.1%	2.6%	0.0%	76.6%
California City	City	13,684	64.8%	15.9%	2.7%	16.4%	0.2%	24.4%
Cherokee Strip	CDP	316	86.4%	13.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	78.5%
China Lake Acres	CDP	1,423	82.4%	13.3%	0.0%	0.0%	4.4%	10.3%
Delano	City	52,342	62.8%	16.8%	13.4%	5.8%	1.2%	72.6%
Derby Acres	CDP	360	90.8%	5.0%	0.0%	0.0%	4.2%	5.0%
Dustin Acres	CDP	590	73.4%	26.6%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	26.9%
Edmundson Acres	CDP	306	43.8%	49.3%	0.0%	3.9%	2.9%	84.0%
Edwards AFB	CDP	2,373	68.2%	8.2%	6.1%	16.8%	0.7%	17.9%
Fellows	CDP	118	89.8%	4.2%	0.0%	0.0%	5.9%	4.2%
Ford City	CDP	4,013	70.9%	27.3%	0.5%	0.0%	1.3%	41.5%
Frazier Park	CDP	2,467	91.9%	7.0%	0.0%	0.0%	1.1%	13.5%
Fuller Acres	CDP	912	43.0%	53.8%	0.0%	0.0%	3.2%	84.9%
Golden Hills	CDP	8,106	89.7%	8.4%	1.4%	0.3%	0.2%	18.4%
Greenacres	CDP	5,875	83.5%	14.4%	1.6%	0.3%	0.3%	20.9%
Greenfield	CDP	3,628	82.4%	16.2%	0.0%	1.4%	0.0%	59.8%
Inyokern	CDP	1,321	81.1%	6.8%	0.0%	0.0%	12.1%	8.6%
Johannesburg	CDP	179	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Keene	CDP	340	89.7%	1.2%	0.0%	9.1%	0.0%	9.1%
Kernville	CDP	1,595	85.3%	6.1%	0.4%	2.4%	5.8%	10.2%
Lake Isabella	CDP	2,960	96.0%	2.3%	0.0%	1.7%	0.0%	18.8%
Lake of the Woods	CDP	814	78.9%	10.3%	5.8%	0.0%	5.0%	12.5%
Lamont	CDP	15,883	66.8%	30.9%	1.3%	0.2%	0.9%	94.9%
Lebec	CDP	1,676	80.0%	17.4%	0.0%	0.0%	2.6%	30.9%
Lost Hills	CDP	2,075	97.1%	2.9%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	98.5%
McFarland	City	12,530	82.1%	14.1%	0.8%	2.4%	0.6%	89.2%
McKittrick	CDP	113	90.3%	8.0%	0.0%	0.0%	1.8%	39.8%
Maricopa	City	1,280	85.1%	12.2%	1.1%	0.9%	0.8%	27.3%
Mettler	CDP	145	86.9%	13.1%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	94.5%
Mexican Colony	CDP	127	66.1%	33.9%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	92.1%
Mojave	CDP	3,987	57.3%	34.5%	0.7%	6.6%	0.8%	49.6%
Mountain Mesa	CDP	964	83.2%	13.5%	0.0%	3.3%	0.0%	4.7%
North Edwards	CDP	1,107	74.7%	5.4%	0.0%	19.0%	0.9%	11.3%
Oildale	CDP	32,253	86.1%	10.2%	0.6%	1.4%	1.7%	19.2%
Onyx	CDP	155	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Pine Mountain Club	CDP	1,541	95.7%	2.4%	0.0%	1.0%	0.9%	15.0%
Randsburg	CDP	26	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Ridgecrest	City	27,587	77.7%	11.2%	4.1%	5.6%	1.4%	14.6%
Rosamond	CDP	17,997	62.8%	22.6%	3.3%	9.7%	1.6%	37.8%
Rosedale	CDP	14,765	88.1%	7.5%	1.5%	1.3%	1.6%	21.8%
Shafter	City	16,709	76.7%	20.7%	0.1%	0.6%	1.9%	80.0%
Smith Corner	CDP	275	86.2%	13.8%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	85.8%
South Taft	CDP	2,279	85.7%	9.3%	0.5%	2.1%	2.4%	46.0%
Squirrel Mountain Valley	CDP	635	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	6.0%
Stallion Springs	CDP	3,244	90.7%	9.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	7.8%
Taft	City	9,413	86.7%	8.5%	2.3%	1.6%	0.9%	31.5%
Taft Heights	CDP	1,873	88.3%	5.2%	2.2%	0.7%	3.6%	5.1%
Tehachapi	City	14,332	82.4%	7.3%	0.7%	7.9%	1.6%	32.8%
Tupman	CDP	102	73.5%	20.6%	0.0%	0.0%	5.9%	11.8%
Valley Acres	CDP	651	99.2%	0.8%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	23.5%
Wasco	City	25,457	77.1%	11.6%	1.4%	8.9%	1.0%	74.0%
Weedpatch	CDP	2,391	57.8%	35.5%	2.7%	0.4%	3.6%	90.8%
Weldon	CDP	2,383	82.6%	3.8%	0.0%	0.1%	13.5%	8.4%
Wofford Heights	CDP	2,284	96.9%	2.5%	0.0%	0.0%	0.6%	2.1%

Places by population and income
Place	Type	Population	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income
Arvin	City	18,809	$9,241	$29,740	$30,012
Bakersfield	City	339,761	$23,141	$54,656	$60,665
Bear Valley Springs	CDP	5,273	$39,533	$78,635	$103,561
Bodfish	CDP	1,982	$18,752	$21,789	$28,576
Boron	CDP	2,323	$19,582	$36,687	$43,636
Buttonwillow	CDP	1,449	$10,629	$33,333	$30,431
California City	City	13,684	$21,161	$53,768	$56,615
Cherokee Strip	CDP	316	$7,612	$43,977	$28,750
China Lake Acres	CDP	1,423	$27,002	$38,643	$61,889
Delano	City	52,342	$10,957	$37,810	$39,098
Derby Acres	CDP	360	$23,443	$49,000	$60,893
Dustin Acres	CDP	590	$22,121	$46,786	$67,841
Edmundson Acres	CDP	306	$13,075	$36,354	$37,396
Edwards AFB	CDP	2,373	$26,411	$77,629	$65,568
Fellows	CDP	118	$24,495	$61,500	$70,833
Ford City	CDP	4,013	$13,491	$25,102	$33,214
Frazier Park	CDP	2,467	$22,679	$55,997	$55,963
Fuller Acres	CDP	912	$10,369	$33,438	$28,333
Golden Hills	CDP	8,106	$27,070	$54,830	$57,130
Greenacres	CDP	5,875	$28,706	$65,250	$62,375
Greenfield	CDP	3,628	$24,126	$48,250	$64,375
Inyokern	CDP	1,321	$29,212	$38,750	$69,259
Johannesburg	CDP	179	$12,498	$31,146	$35,313
Keene	CDP	340	$62,428	$106,000	$105,875
Kernville	CDP	1,595	$37,788	$63,083	$72,571
Lake Isabella	CDP	2,960	$16,624	$20,833	$38,462
Lake of the Woods	CDP	814	$23,726	$53,750	$82,616
Lamont	CDP	15,883	$10,332	$35,168	$35,741
Lebec	CDP	1,676	$16,456	$61,020	$61,034
Lost Hills	CDP	2,075	$8,664	$30,043	$25,980
McFarland	City	12,530	$9,285	$35,615	$35,821
McKittrick	CDP	113	$22,587	$57,708	$51,250
Maricopa	City	1,280	$15,062	$34,167	$39,196
Mettler	CDP	145	$11,373	$32,273	$12,143
Mexican Colony	CDP	127	$15,861	$24,904	$65,132
Mojave	CDP	3,987	$16,290	$30,547	$33,833
Mountain Mesa	CDP	964	$16,310	$50,378	$51,541
North Edwards	CDP	1,107	$20,928	$34,472	$34,231
Oildale	CDP	32,253	$18,121	$34,760	$41,043
Onyx	CDP	155	$23,312	$35,833	$33,646
Pine Mountain Club	CDP	1,541	$31,530	$44,924	$52,279
Randsburg	CDP	26	$12,162	$27,778
Ridgecrest	City	27,587	$28,181	$59,830	$65,321
Rosamond	CDP	17,997	$20,558	$56,974	$61,144
Rosedale	CDP	14,765	$40,803	$103,882	$109,823
Shafter	City	16,709	$13,482	$38,591	$39,908
Smith Corner	CDP	275	$13,076	$27,298	$27,298
South Taft	CDP	2,279	$11,524	$39,375	$41,985
Squirrel Mountain Valley	CDP	635	$39,920	$71,964	$104,973
Stallion Springs	CDP	3,244	$31,564	$59,808	$63,147
Taft	City	9,413	$16,198	$46,136	$51,686
Taft Heights	CDP	1,873	$16,440	$37,465	$43,899
Tehachapi	City	14,332	$15,571	$46,250	$55,742
Tupman	CDP	102	$14,328	$43,125	$46,250
Valley Acres	CDP	651	$21,635	$56,000	$82,212
Wasco	City	25,457	$11,498	$40,295	$43,059
Weedpatch	CDP	2,391	$8,620	$28,105	$29,082
Weldon	CDP	2,383	$21,101	$37,891	$48,958
Wofford Heights	CDP	2,284	$19,011	$29,821	$37,946

The 2010 United States census reported that Kern County had a population of 839,631. The racial makeup of Kern County was 499,766 (59.5%) White, 48,921 (5.8%) African American, 12,676 (1.5%) Native American, 34,846 (4.2%) Asian, 1,252 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 204,314 (24.3%) from other races, and 37,856 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 413,033 persons (49.2%); 43.4% of Kern County residents are of Mexican heritage, 1.0% Salvadoran, 0.5% Colombian, and 0.4% Guatemalan.

According to the 2000 United States census of 2000, there were 661,645 people, 208,652 households, and 156,489 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31 people/km). There were 231,564 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 61.6% White, 6.0% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 1.5% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 23.2% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. 38.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.4% were of German, 7.2% American and 5.7% Irish ancestry, according to the census. 66.8% spoke English, 29.1% Spanish and 1.0% Tagalog as their first language.

There were 208,652 households, out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.50.

In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 31.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,446, and the median income for a family was $39,403. Males had a median income of $38,097 versus $25,876 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,760. About 16.8% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Kern County is associated with the Bakersfield sound. The Buck Owens Crystal Palace is located in Bakersfield.

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Kern County as the Bakersfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau ranked the Bakersfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 63rd most populous metropolitan statistical area and the 68th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

Kern County is a California Constitution-defined general law county and is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors. The Board consists of five members, elected by districts, who serve four-year staggered terms. The county government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, some law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition, the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas.

The Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of the county, as well as the cities of Arvin, Delano, Maricopa, McFarland, Ridgecrest, Shafter, Taft, Tehachapi and Wasco.

Bakersfield has its own fire department, the Bakersfield Fire Department.

The Kern County Sheriff provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for the entire county of approximately 900,000 in population. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county and by contract to certain municipalities. The main Sheriff's office and station is at Bakersfield. There are 15 sheriff substations for the widespread county.

Municipal police departments in the county are: Bakersfield, population 384,000; Delano, 54,000; Ridgecrest, 29,000; Wasco, 28,000; Arvin, 21,000; Shafter, 20,000; McFarland, 15,000; California City, 14,671; Tehachapi, 13,000; Taft, 9,327; Maricopa (sheriff contract city), 1,200.

Population and registered voters
Total population	909,235
Registered voters	426,481	46.9%
Democratic	148,701	34.9%
Republican	154,612	36.3%
Democratic–Republican spread	-5,911	-1.6%
American Independent	18,938	3.3%
Green	1,343	0.2%
Libertarian	5,510	0.6%
Peace and Freedom	3,073	0.3%
Americans Elect	12	0.0%
Other	6,947	0.1%
No party preference	87,357	18.8%

Cities by population and voter registration
City	Population	Registered voters	Democratic	Republican	D–R spread	Other	No party preference
Arvin	19,495	30.1%	55.6%	13.2%	+42.4%	6.8%	24.4%
Bakersfield	403,455	50.9%	36.6%	34.5%	+2.1%	8.0%	20.9%
California City	14,973	44.1%	35.9%	32.2%	+3.7%	10.4%	21.5%
Delano	51,428	32.7%	53.6%	16.6%	+37.0%	7.0%	22.8%
Maricopa	1,100	44.5%	13.7%	62.2%	-48.5%	10.4%	13.7%
McFarland	14,161	28.0%	52.3%	17.7%	+36.6%	6.2%	23.8%
Ridgecrest	27,959	56.7%	23.6%	45.1%	-21.5%	10.3%	21.0%
Shafter	19,953	44.8%	40.7%	31.2%	+9.5%	6.9%	21.2%
Taft	8,546	39.4%	14.9%	58.4%	-43.5%	9.6%	17.1%
Tehachapi	12,939	38.9%	22.4%	46.4%	-24.0%	10.4%	20.8%
Wasco	25,457	30.4%	45.3%	23.5%	+21.8%	7.6%	23.6%

Kern is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democratic candidate for president to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The county is also a Republican stronghold at the state level, with Jerry Brown being the last Democrat to win the county in a gubernatorial election in 1978. Kern remains the only county in Southern California that consistently votes Republican in recent elections. While Republican margins in the county had been shrinking, with Donald Trump's 10.2% margin of victory in 2020 being the smallest since Gerald Ford's 6.7% majority in 1976, Trump regained his margins in 2024 and even surpassed previous performances, with his 21% margin being the best since George Bush in 2004. Some constituencies in Kern County in particular some of the most widely contested in California, and the United States as of the early 2020s, with the 2022 race for the 22nd US House district being close, and the 26th Senate District having one of the tightest margins in electoral history, with incumbent Democrat Melissa Hurtado retaining her seat by 13 votes.

Democratic strength is concentrated in the small agricultural towns in the San Joaquin Valley portion of the county, such as Arvin, Delano, McFarland, Shafter and Wasco. Unincorporated communities close to agricultural areas, such as Lamont and Lost Hills, are Democratic strongholds. The eastern and southern parts of Bakersfield, along with unincorporated East Bakersfield have also become reliably Democratic. Republican strength is found in the foothill, mountain and high desert communities of the county. The cities of Maricopa, Ridgecrest, Taft and Tehachapi are Republican strongholds. Along with the northern parts of Bakersfield, the wealthy unincorporated area of Rosedale and working-class Oildale are also seen as being strongly Republican. Cities like California City and the western areas of Bakersfield are seen as competitive in most elections. Bakersfield as a whole is seen as being competitive with a Republican lean. The remainder of the unincorporated areas of Kern County are seen as strongly Republican.

United States presidential election results for Kern County, California

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	167,879	59.26%	108,241	38.21%	7,164	2.53%
2020	164,484	53.88%	133,366	43.68%	7,442	2.44%
2016	129,584	53.07%	98,689	40.42%	15,890	6.51%
2012	126,618	56.99%	89,495	40.28%	6,076	2.73%
2008	134,793	57.65%	93,457	39.97%	5,558	2.38%
2004	140,417	66.49%	68,603	32.49%	2,154	1.02%
2000	110,663	60.70%	66,003	36.20%	5,642	3.09%
1996	92,151	53.77%	62,658	36.56%	16,582	9.67%
1992	80,762	45.05%	60,510	33.75%	37,991	21.19%
1988	90,550	61.48%	55,083	37.40%	1,660	1.13%
1984	94,776	65.03%	49,567	34.01%	1,401	0.96%
1980	72,842	59.65%	41,097	33.65%	8,182	6.70%
1976	58,023	52.29%	50,567	45.57%	2,371	2.14%
1972	71,686	60.14%	41,937	35.18%	5,570	4.67%
1968	53,990	46.61%	49,284	42.55%	12,558	10.84%
1964	45,014	41.18%	64,174	58.71%	120	0.11%
1960	52,800	50.43%	51,440	49.13%	465	0.44%
1956	46,220	51.31%	43,533	48.33%	322	0.36%
1952	46,497	55.13%	37,240	44.16%	602	0.71%
1948	24,464	41.60%	33,029	56.16%	1,318	2.24%
1944	20,730	43.96%	26,205	55.56%	226	0.48%
1940	19,445	37.30%	32,202	61.78%	479	0.92%
1936	8,345	24.20%	25,726	74.61%	408	1.18%
1932	7,011	25.11%	19,634	70.32%	1,275	4.57%
1928	14,692	62.67%	8,541	36.43%	212	0.90%
1924	8,646	46.08%	3,159	16.84%	6,958	37.08%
1920	7,079	49.01%	6,095	42.20%	1,270	8.79%
1916	5,611	35.11%	9,566	59.86%	804	5.03%
1912	67	0.62%	5,569	51.73%	5,129	47.65%
1908	2,270	45.60%	2,215	44.50%	493	9.90%
1904	2,359	51.61%	1,724	37.72%	488	10.68%
1900	1,692	45.17%	1,960	52.32%	94	2.51%
1896	1,430	43.80%	1,763	54.00%	72	2.21%
1892	992	39.47%	1,266	50.38%	255	10.15%
1888	910	41.46%	1,229	55.99%	56	2.55%
1884	598	42.02%	798	56.08%	27	1.90%
1880	463	40.94%	661	58.44%	7	0.62%

In the United States House of Representatives, Kern County is split between California's 20th congressional district, represented by Republican Vince Fong, California's 22nd congressional district, represented by Republican David Valadao, and California's 23rd congressional district, represented by Republican Jay Obernolte.

In the State Assembly, Kern County is split between the following four Assembly districts:

• the 26th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Patrick Ahrens
• the 32nd Assembly District, represented by Vacant
• the 34th Assembly District, represented by Republican Tom Lackey, and
• the 36th Assembly District, represented by Republican Jeff Gonzalez.

In the State Senate, Kern County is split between the 14th Senate District, represented by Democrat Anna Caballero, and the 16th Senate District, represented by Democrat Melissa Hurtado.

On November 4, 2008, Kern County voted 75.29% in favor of Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

Kern County is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. Jeff Flores of District 3 currently serves as chairman. As of August 2, 2024, they are:

• District 1, Philip Peters.
• District 2, Vacant.
• District 3, Jeff Flores.
• District 4, David Couch.
• District 5, Leticia Perez.

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Fire protection within the county is provided by the Kern County Fire Department. Law enforcement within the county is provided by the Kern County Sheriff's Department.

The Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) is an agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the county of Kern, California, USA. Over 625 permanent employees and 100 extra help employees protect an area which spans over 8,000 square miles (21,000 km). KCFD provides fire protection services for over 500,000 citizens living in the unincorporated areas of Kern County and the cities of Arvin, Delano, Maricopa, McFarland, Ridgecrest, Shafter, Taft, Tehachapi and Wasco. This agency is contracted to provide dispatch services for the California City Fire Department. Over 546 uniformed firefighters are stationed in 46 fire stations throughout the county.

The Kern County Sheriff's Department is the agency responsible for law enforcement within the county of Kern. The department provides law enforcement within the county, maintains the jails used by both the county and municipal cities, and provides search and rescue. The department contains over 1,200 sworn deputies and civilian employees. Its jurisdiction contains all of the unincorporated areas of Kern County, approximately 8,000 square miles (21,000 km). The department headquarters is located at 1350 Norris Road in Bakersfield. There are 15 additional substations located throughout the county. The metro patrol area is divided into four regions: north, south, east, and west.

In 2009, the district attorney claimed "the highest per capita prison commitment rate of any major California county." Kern County contains multiple state and federal prisons, including two private prisons. The county is among the most prolific with the death penalty, assigning death penalty sentences in 26 cases since 1976. In 2015 Kern County policemen from all departments killed more people per capita than any other American county. Because of the very harsh local criminal justice system, Kern County has been dubbed "the most punitive authoritarian jurisdiction on the west coast" and "Oklahoma of the west". In 2015, it was revealed that the Kern County Sheriff's office engaged in a longstanding program of attempted cash payoffs to women who had accused deputies of sexual assault. In the same year, a civil lawsuit filed by a survivor of a sexual assault committed by Kern County Sheriff's deputy Gabriel Lopez was settled for $1 million.

Kern County had the most deaths per capita in the US by police shooting per an article published in The Guardian on December 1, 2015. In 2015 to the date of publication of the article, there have been 13 deaths by police shootings in a county of less than 875,000 population, or 0.016 per thousand persons. By comparison, during the same period of time in New York City, a population 10 times the size with a police force more than 20 times the size, there were 9 such deaths.

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population	829,254
Violent crime	4,892	5.90
Homicide	75	0.09
Forcible rape	205	0.25
Robbery	1,331	1.61
Aggravated assault	3,281	3.96
Property crime	20,147	24.30
Burglary	9,413	11.35
Larceny-theft	17,034	20.54
Motor vehicle theft	4,998	6.03
Arson	593	0.72

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population	Violent crimes	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Arvin	19,761	165	8.35	671	33.96
Bakersfield	355,696	1,929	5.42	17,754	49.91
Bear Valley	5,282	1	0.19	92	17.42
California City	14,460	90	6.22	517	35.75
Delano	54,318	274	5.04	1,437	26.46
McFarland	13,010	57	4.38	218	16.76
Ridgecrest	28,273	108	3.82	602	21.29
Shafter	17,391	49	2.82	576	33.12
Stallion Springs	2,540	6	2.36	9	3.54
Taft	9,552	54	5.65	365	38.21
Tehachapi	14,766	59	4.00	472	31.97

The county has a large agricultural base and is a significant producer of oil, natural gas, hydro-electric power, Biomass, solar power, and wind power. Kern is noted for minerals, including gold, borate, and kernite. The largest open pit mine in California, which mines borax, is at Boron. As of October 1, 2016, Kern County contains nearly 25% of California's in-state renewable energy production, including 1,785 MW of solar power and 3,310 MW of wind power. Kern County is home to the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project, which was commissioned in 2014.

Department of Defense facilities include Edwards Air Force Base and China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. As home to Edwards Air Force Base the Air Force's main flight test facility, Kern has been the site of many milestones, including the first supersonic flight and the first landing of the Space Shuttle. The base has brought prosperity to the railroad towns of Mojave and Rosamond. Kern County is also the home of the first inland spaceport in the United States, the Mojave Spaceport.

This has long been one of the county's biggest industries. Between 2012 and 2013 the produced value of ag products increased 6%, to a total of $6.8 billion. Grape is 31%, almond is 17%, milk is 13%, citrus is 11%, cattle + calves and pistachio are both 7%, carrots are only 6% (but that's 80% of carrots for the entire United States), hay is 4%, and cotton and potatoes are both 2%, of that. This is one of the highest-producing locations in the United States for vegetables, and also for watermelons. Vegetables are estimated to total $320 million every year. There are about 1,938 farms, at an average size of 1,202 acres (486 ha) (however 41% are smaller than 50 acres (20 ha)), being the primary employment of 63% of operators.

Major producer of almonds with production greater than 100 million pounds (45,000 t; 50,000 short tons) annually. That is third of all the counties, 16% of the state's production. (See also almond in California.)

Pistachio is another important employer here. The Michailides & Avenot group finds severe boscalid resistance in isolates of Alternaria alternata pathogenic on pistachio here. They find extensive such resistance in a swathe from the center down into the central southern part of the state, but especially here. (See also Pistachio in California and boscalid in California.)

The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) is a major insect pest in this county, including in this county's citrus groves. (See also Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter in California.)

As of 2015, Kern is California's top oil-producing county, with 78% of the state's 56,653 active oil wells and 71% of oil production. The county produced 144.5 million barrels of oil in 2015, accounting for about 4% of overall U.S. oil production.

Oil development began with the 1894 discovery of the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, now the third-largest in the United States, in the southwestern portion of Kern County near Maricopa. The 1899 discovery along the Kern River was a breakthrough in oil production. Oil was refined here even before the establishment of the county. The Buena Vista Petroleum Company was organized and incorporated in 1864. Soon thereafter a refinery was built that operated until April 1867 when work ceased because of high freight charges.

The 1910 Lakeview Gusher was the largest recorded oil strike in U.S. history. The well spewed approximately nine million barrels for 18 months before workers finally were able to cap it.

Other big oil fields in southwestern Kern County discovered early in the 20th century include the Buena Vista, the South Belridge and the Cymric fields. The latter is the fastest-growing field in California in terms of barrels produced per year. Later large fields include the Kern River Oil Field, the fifth-largest in the U.S., the adjacent Kern Front Oil Field, the Mount Poso Oil Field in the lower foothills of the Sierra north-northeast of Bakersfield and the Fruitvale Oil Field, which underlies much of the city of Bakersfield, along and north of the Kern River.

On July 22, 2009, Occidental Petroleum announced it had discovered the equivalent of 150 million to 250 million barrels of oil in Kern County, which the company called the largest oil discovery in California in 35 years. The find added about 10 percent to California's known reserves. Occidental's Ray Irani said it is likely that more oil would be found in the areas outside the initial six wells that tapped the discovery. Occidental has not revealed the exact location of the find, two-thirds of which is natural gas. BNET, an industry web publication, said the find would add to the company's 708 million barrels of proven reserves in California.

The county today contributes more than three-quarters of all the oil produced onshore in California. Some of the large oil fields in Kern County which are still active include:

• Arvin Transit is the local municipal bus operator in and around Arvin.
• Delano Area Rapid Transit is the local municipal bus operator in Delano.
• Golden Empire Transit is the local bus operator in and near Bakersfield.
• Kern Transit provides countywide intercity bus service, including connections to Lancaster.
• Taft Area Transit is the local municipal bus operator in and around Taft.
• Kern County is also served by Greyhound and Orange Belt Stages buses and Amtrak trains, based at Bakersfield station.

Meadows Field is the only airport in the county served by scheduled commercial passenger flights.

• California City Municipal Airport, California City. (FAA: L71)
• Delano Municipal Airport, Delano. (IATA: DLO)
• Inyokern Airport, Inyokern. (IATA: IYK)
• Kern Valley Airport, Kernville. (FAA: L05)
• Lost Hills Airport, Lost Hills. (FAA: L84)
• Meadows Field, Bakersfield, an international and general aviation airport. (IATA: BFL)
• Mojave Airport, Mojave. (IATA: MHV)
• Shafter Airport (Minter Field), Shafter. (IATA: MIT)
• Taft Airport, Taft. (FAA: L17)
• Tehachapi Municipal Airport, Tehachapi. (IATA: TSP)
• Wasco Airport, Wasco. (FAA: L19)

Outdoor recreational activities include horseback riding, water skiing (Lake Isabella, Lake Buena Vista, Lake Ming, and private ski ranches). Off-roading and other motorsports take place at Jawbone Canyon, California City, Randsburg, Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, Bakersfield Speedway, Famoso Raceway, and the half-mile Kern County Raceway Park. Hunting, paintball, white-water rafting, kayaking (Kern River), snow skiing (Shirley Meadows and Mount Pinos), shooting ranges (5 Dogs Range), hiking, biking (trails, paths, and roads), camping and fishing are also part of the recreational culture.

• Bakersfield Life Magazine, Kern County
• Bakersfield Magazine, Kern County
• Kern County Family Magazine, Kern County

• The Bakersfield Californian, Kern County
• Mountain Enterprise, southwest Kern mountains area
• Mojave Desert News, California City and east Kern desert area
• The Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, China Lake, and The Indian Wells Valley
• The Kern Valley Sun, Kern Valley area
• Kern River Courier, Kern Valley area
• Tehachapi News, Tehachapi
• Taft Midway Driller, Taft
• Taft Independent, Taft
• The Delano Record, Delano

Kern County is served by stations based in Bakersfield, including:

• KBAK-TV (CBS)
• KBFX-TV (FOX)
• KERO-TV (ABC)
• KGET-TV (NBC/CW)

California City, Ridgecrest, and other areas in the Mojave Desert regions of eastern Kern County may instead receive Los Angeles stations.

Population reported at 2010 United States census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Kern County	839,631	499,766	48,921	12,676	34,846	1,252	204,314	37,856	413,033
Incorporated city	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Arvin	19,304	10,247	192	240	155	6	7,655	809	17,892
Bakersfield	347,483	197,349	28,368	5,102	21,432	478	77,686	17,068	158,205
California City	14,120	9,188	2,150	132	367	59	1,431	793	5,385
Delano	53,041	19,304	4,191	501	6,757	30	20,307	1,951	37,913
Maricopa	1,154	958	1	27	16	2	112	38	232
McFarland	12,707	5,433	236	171	84	6	6,330	447	11,625
Ridgecrest	27,616	21,387	1,113	341	1,209	143	1,836	1,587	4,941
Shafter	16,988	8,150	219	198	111	19	7,645	646	13,634
Taft	9,327	7,388	396	118	93	65	1,023	244	3,353
Tehachapi	14,414	9,426	1,297	206	238	21	2,725	501	5,466
Wasco	25,545	12,579	1,951	283	180	12	9,714	826	19,585
Census-designated place	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Bear Valley Springs	5,172	4,776	74	46	57	3	89	127	399
Bodfish	1,956	1,758	4	50	13	3	49	79	189
Boron	2,253	1,746	162	49	47	4	141	104	406
Buttonwillow	1,508	534	36	11	10	0	890	27	1,183
Cherokee Strip	227	84	0	4	0	0	117	22	187
China Lake Acres	1,876	1,601	35	29	16	7	84	104	265
Derby Acres	322	289	0	1	0	0	23	9	36
Dustin Acres	652	539	4	9	1	0	71	28	129
Edmundson Acres	279	108	5	3	1	0	143	19	225
Edwards Air Force Base	2,063	1,518	165	16	99	10	96	159	355
Fellows	106	94	1	5	0	0	2	4	11
Ford City	4,278	2,735	28	153	36	32	1,113	181	1,971
Frazier Park	2,691	2,297	16	31	22	3	212	110	528
Fuller Acres	991	607	13	12	1	0	329	29	768
Golden Hills	8,656	7,235	129	124	120	15	670	363	1,674
Greenacres	5,566	4,612	49	116	70	8	511	200	1,119
Greenfield	3,991	2,512	71	63	45	1	1,112	187	2,263
Inyokern	1,099	930	14	24	25	2	49	55	116
Johannesburg	172	152	2	2	8	0	0	8	8
Keene	431	385	2	10	8	0	16	10	47
Kernville	1,395	1,257	1	19	7	0	33	78	82
Lake Isabella	3,466	3,069	6	96	18	7	73	197	339
Lake of the Woods	917	820	3	18	11	0	34	31	123
Lamont	15,120	6,677	130	230	72	9	7,351	651	14,293
Lebec	1,468	1,152	14	46	17	0	148	91	395
Lost Hills	2,412	132	5	1	17	1	2,232	24	2,354
McKittrick	115	101	1	1	0	0	7	5	9
Mettler	136	74	0	0	0	0	43	19	109
Mexican Colony	281	162	0	15	0	0	93	11	227
Mojave	4,238	2,381	638	54	53	19	867	226	1,592
Mountain Mesa	777	687	7	16	6	2	27	32	77
North Edwards	1,058	847	43	26	20	1	60	61	179
Oildale	32,684	27,463	255	590	316	30	2,635	1,395	6,301
Onyx	475	406	4	9	0	0	16	40	30
Pine Mountain Club	2,315	2,079	29	25	45	0	58	79	231
Randsburg	69	62	0	4	2	0	0	1	2
Rosamond	18,150	11,294	1,476	221	658	66	3,258	1,177	6,230
Rosedale	14,058	11,695	208	159	389	24	997	586	2,495
Smith Corner	524	227	10	3	2	3	263	16	440
South Taft	2,169	1,404	21	55	5	11	596	77	931
Squirrel Mountain Valley	547	509	2	9	1	0	13	13	22
Stallion Springs	2,488	2,239	30	26	32	7	79	75	285
Taft Heights	1,949	1,602	15	35	11	0	220	66	441
Tupman	161	149	0	0	0	0	2	10	12
Valley Acres	527	428	1	10	1	0	42	45	121
Weedpatch	2,658	1,212	8	78	14	0	1,237	109	2,484
Weldon	2,642	2,375	5	82	11	1	53	115	217
Wofford Heights	2,200	2,037	6	41	10	1	26	79	156
Other unincorporated areas	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	138,644	81,305	5,079	2,730	1,907	141	41,670	5,812	82,746

• Adobe Station
• Glenburn

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Kern County.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Bakersfield	City	403,455
2	Delano	City	51,428
3	Oildale	CDP	36,135
4	Ridgecrest	City	27,959
5	Wasco	City	27,047
6	Rosamond	CDP	20,961
7	Shafter	City	19,953
8	Arvin	City	19,495
9	Rosedale	CDP	18,639
10	California City	City	14,973
11	McFarland	City	14,161
12	Lamont	CDP	14,049
13	Tehachapi	City	12,939
14	Golden Hills	CDP	9,578
15	Taft	City	8,546
16	Bear Valley Springs	CDP	5,592
17	Greenacres	CDP	5,496
18	Mojave	CDP	4,699
19	Ford City	CDP	4,348
20	Lake Isabella	CDP	3,573
21	Greenfield	CDP	3,447
22	Stallion Springs	CDP	3,139
23	Frazier Park	CDP	2,592
24	Pine Mountain Club	CDP	2,422
25	Lost Hills	CDP	2,370
26	Weldon	CDP	2,303
27	Wofford Heights	CDP	2,213
28	Weedpatch	CDP	2,206
29	Edwards AFB	CDP	2,135
30	South Taft	CDP	2,100
31	Boron	CDP	2,086
32	Bodfish	CDP	2,008
33	Taft Heights	CDP	1,999
34	China Lake Acres	CDP	1,757
35	Kernville	CDP	1,549
36	Buttonwillow	CDP	1,337
37	Lebec	CDP	1,239
38	North Edwards	CDP	1,054
39	Maricopa	City	1,026
40	Inyokern	CDP	988
41	Fuller Acres	CDP	917
42	Mountain Mesa	CDP	823
43	Lake of the Woods	CDP	790
44	Squirrel Mountain Valley	CDP	760
45	Dustin Acres	CDP	677
46	Smith Corner	CDP	594
47	Valley Acres	CDP	504
48	Keene	CDP	469
49	Onyx	CDP	457
50	Derby Acres	CDP	301
51	Edmundson Acres	CDP	296
52	Mexican Colony	CDP	283
53	Cherokee Strip	CDP	206
54	Tupman	CDP	177
55	Johannesburg	CDP	113
56	McKittrick	CDP	102
57	Mettler	CDP	90
58	Fellows	CDP	52
59	Randsburg	CDP	45

School districts include:

Unified:

Secondary:

• Delano Joint Union High School District
• Kern High School District
• Taft Union High School District
• Wasco Union High School District

Elementary:

The 2015 Disney film McFarland, USA, starring Kevin Costner, is based on the cross-country team in the city of McFarland, California, which is located in northern Kern County.

• List of museums in the San Joaquin Valley
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kern County, California
• 2024 Kern County wildfires

• Hoover, Mildred Brooke; Douglas E. Kyle (1990). Historic Spots in California. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1734-2.

• Official website
• Keysville Massacre, April 19, 1863—original report from officer in charge