Real estate · County · California
Real estate businesses in Kern County, CA
The real estate businesses in Kern County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #931 of 2,229 scored counties
#11 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 772
- 52 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 479
- +18.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $4.9B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $17,084 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 146
- 46% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.1
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Kern County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 772 real estate businesses in Kern County. 52 of them (7%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 27.1 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
At $17,084 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in Kern County spend about $4.9B a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 46% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Kern County was 479 in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. That is one for every 595 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Another 2,561 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $960K have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Kern County.
Population estimates show Kern County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kern County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #931 of 2,229 scored counties and #11 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Kern County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.1 | 49.0 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 146 | 94 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 595 | 293 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.0% | +13.8% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $17,084 | $19,977 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 406 → 479+18.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,888
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $99M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,561Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 77252 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,124The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $960K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Kern County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 85 | 32 | 11.2 | 359 | +8.2% | #7 of 2,229 |
| 2Inyo County, CA | 72 | 12 | 14.9 | 270 | −4.4% | #162 of 2,229 |
| 3Colusa County, CA | 67 | 10 | 13.3 | 301 | −0.1% | #292 of 2,229 |
| 4Merced County, CA | 64 | 210 | 24.4 | 157 | +5.1% | #424 of 2,229 |
| 5Trinity County, CA | 63 | 10 | 17.9 | 203 | −2.3% | #455 of 2,229 |
| 6Kings County, CA | 61 | 85 | 19.3 | 203 | +1.0% | #540 of 2,229 |
| 7Glenn County, CA | 59 | 17 | 17.3 | 219 | −2.6% | #610 of 2,229 |
| 8Tulare County, CA | 56 | 347 | 24.2 | 163 | +2.4% | #775 of 2,229 |
| 9Madera County, CA | 56 | 132 | 29.1 | 140 | +7.4% | #787 of 2,229 |
| 10San Joaquin County, CA | 54 | 868 | 35.4 | 124 | +5.5% | #882 of 2,229 |
| 11Kern County, CA | 53 | 772 | 27.1 | 146 | +2.3% | #931 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Kern County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Kern County, CA?
There are 772 real estate businesses on map listings in Kern County as of September 2026. 52 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 479 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. Official counts list 2,561 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $4.9B a year, or $17,084 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 772 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 46% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Kern County has 27.1 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 146, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Kern County would have about 1,124, against 772 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 595 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Kern County scores 53 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #931 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.