Housing data for Cottonwood (Kern County), CA
Cottonwood (Kern County), CA has an estimated 3,107 residents and 799 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Kern County.
83.5% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,029 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 3,107 (±796)
- Housing units
- 799 (±168)
- Households that rent
- 83.5%
- Median gross rent
- $1,029
What stands out in Cottonwood (Kern County)
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 39.1% (±14.7 points) in Cottonwood (Kern County), higher than in Kern County (9.2%).
Households that rent: 83.5% (±8.3 points) in Cottonwood (Kern County), higher than in Kern County (39.9%).
Median household income: $44,247 (±$6,522) in Cottonwood (Kern County), lower than in Kern County ($70,210).
Median gross rent: $1,029 (±$100) in Cottonwood (Kern County), lower than in Kern County ($1,300).
- Types of homes in Cottonwood (Kern County)
- Renters and owners in Cottonwood (Kern County)
- Income and affordability in Cottonwood (Kern County)
- Median rent in Cottonwood (Kern County)
Housing in Cottonwood (Kern County) at a glance
- Median rent: $1,029 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $996 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 45.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 83.5% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $44,247 median household income
- Home values: $321,600 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,838 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,068 median real estate taxes a year (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Types of homes: 39.1% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 44.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 32.6% of homes were built before 1980 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Vacancy rate: 4.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 83.4% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 22.3 minutes average trip to work
- How long people stay: 23.4% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 41.7% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Cottonwood (Kern County) against Kern County, its state and the nation
| Cottonwood (Kern County) | Kern County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3,107 (±796) | 915,075 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 799 (±168) | 306,999 (±246) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 83.5% (±8.3 points) | 39.9% (±0.8 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,029 (±$100) | $1,300 (±$21) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $44,247 (±$6,522) | $70,210 (±$1,287) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $321,600 (±$97,315) | $338,300 (±$2,944) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,068 (±$1,085) | $2,984 (±$55) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 32.6% (±16.7 points) | 42.9% (±1.0 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.3 minutes (±3.6) | 24.4 minutes (±0.4) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.5% (±3.7 points) | 91.6% (±0.4 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 18.3 years (±5.3) | 32.7 years (±0.1) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Cottonwood (Kern County) covers 0.4 square miles of land, about 7,906 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
Crime reported to police in Kern County
Cottonwood (Kern County) has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Kern County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Kern County recorded 657 violent and 1,933 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Cottonwood (Kern County)
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Loma | 0.7 mi | $749 | $256,100 | 63.6% |
| Potomac Park | 1.7 mi | $1,218 | $219,600 | 62.5% |
| Benton Park | 2.5 mi | $1,243 | $240,600 | 39.3% |
| East Bakersfield | 2.7 mi | $1,090 | $208,700 | 81.8% |
| Hillcrest | 2.8 mi | $1,259 | $272,700 | 49.5% |
| Rexland Acres | 2.9 mi | $1,435 | $200,200 | 37.7% |
| Fairfax (community) | 2.9 mi | $1,407 | $244,400 | 48.5% |
| Bakersfield | 3.0 mi | $1,472 | $371,700 | 39.4% |
Places in California most like Cottonwood (Kern County)
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huron | $1,054 | $251,700 | $52,500 | 75.4% |
| Arcata | $1,327 | $484,600 | $46,713 | 63.6% |
| Orange Cove | $1,103 | $254,000 | $46,629 | 56.8% |
| Firebaugh | $982 | $242,400 | $47,734 | 53.3% |
| Parlier | $1,105 | $256,400 | $52,357 | 54.1% |
| Grass Valley | $1,458 | $482,200 | $51,764 | 59.8% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across California.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Cottonwood (Kern County), fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,265 | $1,273 | $1,656 | $2,293 | $2,768 |
HUD income limits for Cottonwood (Kern County), fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,450 | $34,000 | $54,400 |
| 2 people | $23,350 | $38,850 | $62,200 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $43,700 | $69,950 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $48,550 | $77,700 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $52,450 | $83,950 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $56,350 | $90,150 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $60,250 | $96,350 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $64,100 | $102,600 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $81,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Cottonwood (Kern County) is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Cottonwood (Kern County)
What is the average rent in Cottonwood (Kern County), CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Cottonwood (Kern County) is $1,029 (±$100) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Cottonwood (Kern County)?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Cottonwood (Kern County), CA is $1,043 (±$451) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Cottonwood (Kern County) rent-burdened?
45.3% of renting households in Cottonwood (Kern County) pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Cottonwood (Kern County)?
Cottonwood (Kern County) has an estimated 645 (±163) renting households, 83.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Cottonwood (Kern County)?
The median household income in Cottonwood (Kern County) is $44,247 (±$6,522) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Cottonwood (Kern County), CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $321,600 (±$97,315) for owner-occupied homes in Cottonwood (Kern County) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Cottonwood CDP (Kern County), California (place:16623, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .