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.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Kern County Unincorporated Area, California, covered 557 housing units (+31.7% year on year); the place lies in Kern County.
503 of those units were single-family houses (90%), 54 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 21,536 units, with the busiest year 2005 (2,284 units). Kern County's FHFA house price index rose +87.6% over the ten years to 2025.
557units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+31.7% on the previous 12 months
503single-family units90% of the total
0units in 5+ unit buildings0% of the total
—units per 1,000 residentsKern County 3.2 · California 2.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Kern County Unincorporated Area by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Kern County Unincorporated Area
Kern County
California
United States
All housing units
557
2,949
111,538
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
503 (90%)
2,473 (84%)
55,792 (50%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
30
346
4,172
34,814
3–4 units
24
31
1,193
17,298
5 or more units
0 (0%)
99 (3%)
50,381 (45%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
—
3.2
2.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+31.7%
−0.8%
+13.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Kern County Unincorporated Area by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
21,536 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 Kern County Unincorporated Area, CA?
557 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 423 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Kern County Unincorporated Area?
503 single-family units, 30 in two-unit buildings, 24 in three- and four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Kern County Unincorporated Area compare with its county and state?
No population estimate is attached to this permit-issuing area, so a per-resident rate is not shown; Kern County runs at 3.2 units per 1,000 residents and California at 2.8.
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 203000); 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.