Kern County, California

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.1 | 913,820 people · 8th most distressed in California
American Default Research

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Kern County, CA shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.1 — 253rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within California, it ranks 8th of 58 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Kern County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 91.0 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 91.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 96
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 91
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 91
Homeownership Rate 93
Rent-to-Income Ratio 85
Employment & Wages 83.2
Unemployment Rate 98
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 78
Business Formation Rate 73
Income & Poverty 82.1
Poverty Rate 82
Income vs. State Median 85
Child Poverty Rate 79
Debt & Delinquency 57.9
Debt in Collections 63
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 73
Auto Loan Delinquency 62
Credit Card Delinquency 75
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 67
Community Vulnerability 31.5
Uninsured Rate 47
Disability Rate 16

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Kern County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Kern County
Kern County, CA 69.1 Serious —
Kings County, CA 69.8 Serious +0.6
Tulare County, CA 68.9 Serious -0.2
San Bernardino County, CA 60.8 Elevated -8.3
Santa Barbara County, CA 56.5 Elevated -12.6
Los Angeles County, CA 54.6 Elevated -14.6
Inyo County, CA 50.1 Elevated -19.0
San Luis Obispo County, CA 49.2 Normal -19.9
Ventura County, CA 48.6 Normal -20.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Kern County
Tulare County, CA 68.9 Serious -0.2
Marion County, FL 68.7 Serious -0.4
Hampden County, MA 68.5 Serious -0.7
Nueces County, TX 70.1 Serious +1.0
Escambia County, FL 67.5 Serious -1.6

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Kern County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Kern County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of California — Find a Lawyer 1-866-442-2529

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Kern County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) 1-800-399-4529
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA) 1-800-433-6251
Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554
Legal Services of Northern California 1-800-822-9687
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) 1-800-337-0690
Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) 1-888-245-4257
Legal Aid Society of San Diego 1-877-534-2524
Community Legal Aid SoCal 1-800-834-5001
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. (760) 746-8941
Central California Legal Services (800) 675-8001
Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance, Inc. (661) 325-5943

Self-Help Resources

California Courts Self-Help — Foreclosure and Mortgage Help Official California courts self-help resource with information on foreclosure procedures, homeowner rights, tenant protections in foreclosure, and links to free legal help.
LawHelpCA — Foreclosure Prevention Statewide legal aid directory connecting Californians with free legal information and local legal aid providers for foreclosure prevention, including links to self-help guides and intake forms.
California Attorney General — Homeowner Bill of Rights Official AG page explaining HBOR protections, including fact sheets on dual-tracking prohibition, single point of contact, and how to file a complaint about servicer violations.
DFPI Mortgage Relief Resources DFPI consumer resources for housing and mortgage issues, including information on PACE financing, foreclosure scam alerts, and how to file complaints against licensees.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Kern County, California?

    Kern County has a County Distress Index score of 69.1 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 253rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in California out of 58 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Kern County?

    The primary driver of distress in Kern County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 91.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Kern County compare to neighboring counties?

    Kern County (69.1) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Kings County, CA (69.8); Tulare County, CA (68.9); San Bernardino County, CA (60.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Kern County?

    Kern County, California has a population of approximately 913,820 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a large county.