Kern County vs San Bernardino County
Two neighbouring counties in California, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 74 mi of border.
Kern County
California
San Bernardino County
California
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. San Bernardino County spans about 335.8 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Kern County | Difference | San Bernardino County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 927,068 | -58.3% | 2,224,091 |
| Change since 2020 | 2.3% | +0.4 pp | 1.9% |
| Land area | 8,135 sq mi | -59.5% | 20,068 sq mi |
| Population density | 114 per sq mi | +2.7% | 111 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $70,210 | -17.9% | $85,478 |
| Median home value | $338,300 | -33.0% | $505,000 |
| Median age | 32.7 | -5.8% | 34.7 |
| Households | 284,931 | -57.8% | 674,915 |
| Housing units | 306,999 | -58.7% | 743,886 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- San Bernardino County holds about 2.4 times the population of Kern County: 2,224,091 against 927,068.
- San Bernardino County covers more ground, at 20,068 square miles against 8,135.
- Kern County is the more crowded of the two, at 114 people per square mile against 111.
- Median household income is higher in San Bernardino County, by 15,268 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Kern County has grown by 2.3% and San Bernardino County has grown by 1.9%.
- They share 74 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.