Is Kern County, CA's population growing or shrinking?
Refreshed annually
It grew by 2,400 between 2024 and 2025. Changes in population can reflect birth and death rates, immigration patterns, regional shifts, and even the overall health of the economy. The 0.26% annual increase was primarily driven by births outpacing deaths.
In the decade between 2015 and 2025, Kern County, CA’s population grew by 5.8%.
+2.42K
population change (2024 to 2025)
+0.26%
percent change in population (2024 to 2025)
Since 2000, Kern County, CA’s population increased 25 out of 25 years. The largest increase occurred between 2009 and 2010, when Kern County, CA gained 36,400 residents. Its smallest increase occurred between 2022 and 2023 when there were 525 more residents.
Kern County, CA gained 2,400 residents between 2024 and 2025.
Annual population change, 2001–2025
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What contributes to population change in Kern County, CA?
A county’s population is influenced by three factors:
- Natural population change: If births outnumber deaths in a given year, natural population growth is positive. If deaths exceed births, it is negative. Between 2024 and 2025 natural population change was positive in Kern County, CA, with births exceeding deaths by 4,300.
- Immigration: international migration directly into or out of a county: If more people move in than move out, population change from immigration is positive. If more people move out than move in, it’s negative. Between 2024 to 2025, Kern County, CA’s population change from immigration was positive with about 628 more people coming from another country directly to Kern County, CA than leaving.
- Domestic migration, moving between counties: Between 2024 to 2025, Kern County, CA’s population change from domestic migration was negative with about 2,600 more people moving to any other county in the US.
Between 2024 and 2025, natural change was the primary driver of population growth in Kern County, CA.
Components of population change from previous year, 2011–2025
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
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USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
