County deep-dive · snapshot 2026-05-14

Kern County

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120,472

parcels scored

5.07M

acres covered

Moderate

dominant band

36%

acres in Elevated band or higher

Water context

Kern’s water profile

Kern is one of the SGMA program's largest groundwater users; the state returned the subbasin's plan to DWR in late 2025 after revisions. The rest of the county's water comes via SWP deliveries that swing widely year to year.

Risk distribution

Acres by band

Kern’s farmable acreage broken down across the five risk bands.

Low

412k ac · 8.1%

Moderate

2.85M ac · 56.2%

Elevated

1.17M ac · 23.1%

High

639k ac · 12.6%

Severe

1k ac · 0.0%

What is grown

Top crop classes in Kern

Sourced from California Department of Water Resources Land IQ and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cropland Data Layer.

Permanent — high water (almonds, walnuts, pistachios)

469k acres

Annuals — low water (wheat, sorghum)

416k acres

Annuals — medium water (tomatoes, melons, vegetables)

143k acres

Permanent — low water (citrus, olives)

127k acres

Plus 3.81M acres classified as fallow or non-cropped — rangeland, dry-farmed acreage, and undeveloped agricultural parcels not in active production.

View Kern on the map →