Who is the Kern County Assessor?

Laura Avila is the Assessor of Kern County, California. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Kern County District Attorney?

Cynthia Zimmer is the District Attorney of Kern County, California. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Kern County Sheriff-Coroner?

Donny Youngblood is the Sheriff-Coroner of Kern County, California. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who are the Kern County commissioners?

Phillip Peters (Supervisor, District 1); Chris Parlier (Supervisor, District 2); Jeff Flores (Supervisor, District 3); David Couch (Supervisor, District 4); Leticia Perez (Supervisor, District 5).

What is the population of Kern County?

About 915,075 people, with a median age of 32.7; the median household income is $70,210 and 19.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Kern County?

7.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 32,854 people unemployed in a labor force of 417,030, against 8.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Kern County?

165 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 48 school district and 105 special district governments.

Kern County, CA elected officials: supervisors, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Kern County: 8 seats on 4 elected bodies. 3 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of Supervisors

Kern County Board of Supervisors

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
Supervisor, District 1	Phillip Peters source
Supervisor, District 2	Chris Parlier source
Supervisor, District 3	Jeff Flores source
Supervisor, District 4	David Couch source
Supervisor, District 5	Leticia Perez source

Official website

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Assessor	Laura Avila source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
District Attorney	Cynthia Zimmer source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff-Coroner	Donny Youngblood source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

How many local governments Kern County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 165 local governments in Kern County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of government	Census count (2022)	Listed on this page
County government	1	1
Cities, towns, villages and townships	11	0
School districts (school boards)	48	0
Special districts (elected boards)	105	0

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (1 in Kern County), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Kern County

915,075people

32.7median ageU.S.: 38.9

$70,210 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

19.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

18.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$338,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700

8.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

20.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

4.9%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

7.8%U.S.: 8.4%

56.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

36.3%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 56.5% · White 29.6% · Black 4.8% · Asian 5.1% · Other or more than one race 4.1% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Kern County

7.9%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 8.2%. California: 5.1%.

32,854people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

384,176people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

417,030in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	7.9%	32,854	384,176	417,030
August 2026	8.4%	34,751	378,760	413,511
July 2026	8.6%	34,764	370,646	405,410
June 2026	8.8%	35,695	370,389	406,084
May 2026	8.3%	33,951	375,562	409,513
April 2026	8.7%	35,621	375,196	410,817
March 2026	9.4%	38,554	370,333	408,887
February 2026	9.5%	38,992	372,037	411,029
January 2026	9.2%	37,503	371,386	408,889
December 2025	8.5%	34,665	375,427	410,092
November 2025	8.1%	34,075	384,350	418,425
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	8.2%	34,330	385,334	419,664
August 2025	8.7%	36,311	381,471	417,782
July 2025	9.3%	38,214	373,419	411,633
June 2025	9.4%	38,624	370,535	409,159
May 2025	8.9%	36,834	375,106	411,940
April 2025	9.3%	37,955	370,918	408,873
March 2025	9.9%	40,748	369,941	410,689
February 2025	9.7%	39,848	372,102	411,950
January 2025	9.1%	37,498	373,170	410,668
December 2024	8.3%	33,799	371,310	405,109
November 2024	8.0%	33,036	377,979	411,015
October 2024	7.6%	31,704	384,628	416,332

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	9.0%	37,191	375,616	412,807
2024	8.7%	35,490	372,814	408,304
2023	8.1%	32,846	370,801	403,647
2022	7.1%	27,785	366,118	393,903
2021	9.9%	38,618	350,469	389,087
2020	12.7%	49,506	339,064	388,570
2019	7.8%	30,600	360,356	390,956
2018	8.1%	31,277	356,404	387,681
2017	9.2%	35,697	350,808	386,505
2016	10.4%	40,644	349,835	390,479

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. California's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 5.1% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Kern County

666.3 per 100,0002020. California: 442.0.

2,941.1 per 100,0002020. California: 2,138.9.

115murders2020, 6,198 violent crimes in all.

2020 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2020	6,198	666.3	27,358	2,941.1
2019	5,521	595.0	29,070	3,133.1
2018	5,246	567.6	29,786	3,222.8
2017	4,985	541.3	28,568	3,102.2
2016	5,126	560.8	32,199	3,522.8

By police agency (13)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Bakersfield Police Department	2025	2,081	9,400	420,589
Kern County Sheriff's Office	2025	3,139	5,905	298,272
Delano Police Department	2025	167	345	54,060
Ridgecrest Police Department	2025	159	238	28,469
Wasco Police Department	2025	93	276	27,937
Shafter Police Department	2025	76	284	23,483
Arvin Police Department	2020	172	390	22,149
McFarland Police Department	2025	53	85	14,413
California City Police Department	2025	68	179	12,745
Tehachapi Police Department	2025	42	176	10,699
Taft Police Department	2025	26	156	6,849
Bear Valley Police Department	2025	3	21	5,466
Stallion Springs Police Department	2025	3	9	2,628

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in California · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.70 per 1,000 residents2025, 13 agencies serving 925,308 people.

1,573sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

801civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (13), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Kern County Sheriff's Office	860	476	298,272
Bakersfield Police Department	494	207	420,589
Delano Police Department	52	26	54,060
Shafter Police Department	33	17	23,483
Ridgecrest Police Department	27	21	28,469
Tehachapi Police Department	20	14	10,699
Wasco Police Department	19	11	27,937
Arvin Police Department	19	7	19,698
McFarland Police Department	16	8	14,413
Taft Police Department	14	6	6,849
California City Police Department	11	8	12,745
Bear Valley Police Department	5	0	5,466
Stallion Springs Police Department	3	0	2,628

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	1,573	1.70	801	13
2024	1,494	1.60	762	13
2023	1,393	1.51	697	12
2022	1,356	1.46	653	12
2021	1,340	1.49	684	12
2020	1,353	1.51	637	12
2019	1,345	1.50	646	12
2018	1,390	1.56	579	12
2017	1,369	1.54	581	12
2016	1,415	1.60	546	12

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

Who is the Kern County Assessor?: Laura Avila is the Assessor of Kern County, California. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kern County District Attorney?: Cynthia Zimmer is the District Attorney of Kern County, California. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Kern County Sheriff-Coroner?: Donny Youngblood is the Sheriff-Coroner of Kern County, California. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Kern County commissioners?: Phillip Peters (Supervisor, District 1); Chris Parlier (Supervisor, District 2); Jeff Flores (Supervisor, District 3); David Couch (Supervisor, District 4); Leticia Perez (Supervisor, District 5).
What is the population of Kern County?: About 915,075 people, with a median age of 32.7; the median household income is $70,210 and 19.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Kern County?: 7.9% in September 2026 (preliminary): 32,854 people unemployed in a labor force of 417,030, against 8.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Kern County?: 165 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 11 municipal, 48 school district and 105 special district governments.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Secretary of State's California Roster; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

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