Kern County Demographics

A map of Kern County's Population by Race

Kern County, California had a population of 909,235 in 2020. It was 30.8% White, 5.1% Black, 4.9% Asian, 54.9% Hispanic, 1.2% Native American/Other, and 3.1% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Kern County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Kern County is the 11th most populous county of the 58 counties in California.

Kern County's White Population

279,600 residents of Kern County identify as White, or 30.8%. This makes the White share of the population of Kern County roughly similar to the White share of the population of California (34.7% White). Of the 58 counties in California, Kern County is ranked #47 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Kern County is more White than neighboring Tulare County (26.4% White), Los Angeles County (25.6% White), and Kings County (29.1% White). Kern County is less White than neighboring Ventura County (42.8% White), and Santa Barbara County (41.2% White).

Kern County's Black Population

46,776 residents of Kern County identify as Black, or 5.1%. This makes the Black share of the population of Kern County roughly similar to the Black share of the population of California (5.4% Black). Of the 58 counties in California, Kern County is ranked #12 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Kern County is more Black than neighboring Tulare County (1.1% Black), Ventura County (1.6% Black), and Santa Barbara County (1.4% Black). Kern County is less Black than neighboring Los Angeles County (7.6% Black), and Kings County (5.4% Black).

Kern County's Asian Population

44,257 residents of Kern County identify as Asian, or 4.9%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Kern County slightly less than the Asian share of the population of California (15.1% Asian). Of the 58 counties in California, Kern County is ranked #28 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Kern County is more Asian than neighboring Tulare County (3.4% Asian), and Kings County (3.6% Asian). Kern County is less Asian than neighboring Ventura County (7.5% Asian), Los Angeles County (14.7% Asian), and Santa Barbara County (5.7% Asian).

Kern County's Hispanic Population

499,158 residents of Kern County identify as Hispanic, or 54.9%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Kern County larger than the Hispanic share of the population of California (39.4% Hispanic). Of the 58 counties in California, Kern County is ranked #9 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Kern County is more Hispanic than neighboring Ventura County (43.3% Hispanic), Los Angeles County (48% Hispanic), and Santa Barbara County (47% Hispanic). Kern County is less Hispanic than neighboring Tulare County (65.5% Hispanic), and Kings County (56.8% Hispanic).

Kern County's Native American/Other Population

10,881 residents of Kern County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 1.2%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Kern County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of California (1.3% Native American/Other). Of the 58 counties in California, Kern County is ranked #48 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Kern County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Ventura County (0.9% Native American/Other), Los Angeles County (1% Native American/Other), and Santa Barbara County (1% Native American/Other). Kern County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Tulare County (1.3% Native American/Other), and Kings County (1.8% Native American/Other).

Kern County's Multiracial Population

28,563 residents of Kern County identify as Multiracial, or 3.1%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Kern County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of California (4.1% Multiracial). Of the 58 counties in California, Kern County is ranked #49 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Kern County is more Multiracial than neighboring Tulare County (2.3% Multiracial). Kern County is less Multiracial than neighboring Ventura County (3.9% Multiracial), Kings County (3.3% Multiracial), and Santa Barbara County (3.7% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.