Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Kern County index 1975–2025
Kern County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Kern County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
Bakersfield, California (Kern County), authorised 1,739 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +9.3% on the previous 12 months.
1,386 of those units were single-family houses (80%), 282 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 71 in buildings of five or more units. That is 4.1 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 3.2 and above the state's 2.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 61,306 units, with the busiest year 2005 (5,326 units). Kern County's FHFA house price index rose +87.6% over the ten years to 2025.
1,739units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+9.3% on the previous 12 months
1,386single-family units80% of the total
71units in 5+ unit buildings4% of the total
4.1units per 1,000 residentsKern County 3.2 · California 2.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Bakersfield by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Bakersfield
Kern County
California
United States
All housing units
1,739
2,949
111,538
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
1,386 (80%)
2,473 (84%)
55,792 (50%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
282
346
4,172
34,814
3–4 units
0
31
1,193
17,298
5 or more units
71 (4%)
99 (3%)
50,381 (45%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
4.1
3.2
2.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+9.3%
−0.8%
+13.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Bakersfield by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
61,306 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2005. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Kern County
FHFA's index for Kern County rose +87.6% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.5% a year) and +2.0% in the latest year, against +80.3% and +0.8% for California. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Bakersfield, CA?
1,739 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 1,591 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Bakersfield?
1,386 single-family units, 282 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 71 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Bakersfield compare with its county and state?
4.1 units per 1,000 residents in Bakersfield, 3.2 in Kern County and 2.8 in California.
How have home prices moved in Kern County?
FHFA's index for Kern County rose +87.6% over the ten years to 2025 and +2.0% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 028000); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.