County deep-dive · snapshot 2026-05-11
Kern County
← All counties120,472
parcels scored
5.07M
acres covered
Moderate
dominant band
36%
acres in Elevated band or higher
Risk distribution
Acres by band
Single-county slice of the same risk classification used across the footprint. Acres are the load-bearing unit — a 1,000-acre orchard carries different exposure than a 1-acre rural lot.
Low
410k ac · 8.1%
Moderate
2.85M ac · 56.2%
Elevated
1.17M ac · 23.2%
High
634k ac · 12.5%
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)
467k acres
Annuals — low water (wheat, sorghum)
389k acres
Annuals — medium water (tomatoes, melons, vegetables)
142k acres
Permanent — low water (citrus, olives)
127k acres
Plus 3.85M acres classified as fallow or non-cropped — rangeland, dry-farmed acreage, and undeveloped agricultural parcels not in active production.