Kern County, California property tax
The median homeowner in Kern County, California pays $2,833 a year in property tax on a home worth $310,600, an effective rate of 0.91%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
Kern County taxes property at 0.91%, within a rounding error of the national 0.98%. With the rate close to typical, the $2,833 bill is driven by what housing is worth here rather than by how hard it is taxed.
Inside California it is one of the most heavily taxed counties there is, ranking #1 of 56, against a statewide 0.71%. At the other end of the same state, Trinity County charges 0.54%. A spread that wide inside one state is normal, because school districts, not states, set most of the levy.
The median home costs 4.59 times the median household income of $67,660, close to the national 3.86. Incomes run below the national median, and house prices run below it too, which is what keeps the ratio ordinary. With 910,433 residents this is one of the larger counties in the country, so the medians here average across a genuinely varied housing market and hide a lot of local range.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| Kern County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.91% | 0.71% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $2,833 | $4,926 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $310,600 | $695,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,220 | $1,956 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $67,660 | $96,334 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 4.59× | 7.22× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 21.64% | 24.37% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 59.81% | 55.79% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 910,433.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura County | 0.69% | $5,326 | $768,400 |
| San Francisco County | 0.68% | $9,412 | $1,380,500 |
| Fresno County | 0.75% | $2,704 | $362,600 |
| San Joaquin County | 0.76% | $3,782 | $494,500 |
| San Mateo County | 0.61% | $9,167 | $1,494,500 |
Kern County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Kern County, California?
The effective rate is 0.91% of home value, from a median tax bill of $2,833 against a median home value of $310,600. That is 0.07 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Kern County?
Roughly $3,640 a year at the county effective rate of 0.91%.
Is Kern County expensive compared with the rest of California?
It ranks #1 of 56 California counties by effective property tax rate, and #1214 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.2 points above the California average of 0.71%.
What does housing cost in Kern County?
The median home is worth $310,600 and median gross rent is $1,220 a month. Median household income is $67,660, which puts the home at 4.59 times annual income and rent at 21.64% of it.