Grown Where

Kern County, California · 2022 Census of Agriculture

What does Kern County, California grow?

Of the crops tracked here, Kern County's biggest by acreage are almonds (216,183 acres), pistachios (132,640 acres) and grapes (89,041 acres). Its farms sold $5 billion of crops and livestock in 2022, 4th of 56 counties in California.

Among US counties with published figures, it ranks near the top for carrots (1st of 613 counties), tangerines (2nd of 78 counties), pomegranates (2nd of 42 counties) and almonds (2nd of 33 counties).

Farm sales, 2022
$5 billion4th of 3,050 US counties
Farms
1,6912,399,512 acres of farmland
Crops vs. livestock
78% cropsshare of farm sales
Items reported
6844 published, 23 withheld, 1 under half a unit
Value of crops and livestock sold by county, 2022 Census of Agriculture
Under $14M$14M to $56M$56M to $210M$210M to $700M$700M to $2.1B$2.1B+
Withheld to protect individual farms
Kern County
$5 billion
8% of California farm sales. No. 4 of 56 counties with published figures.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture.

What does Kern County grow the most of?

Crops ranked by acres harvested (bearing acres for orchards), 2022 Census of Agriculture.

  1. 1Almonds2nd in California216,183 acres
  2. 2Pistachios1st in California132,640 acres
  3. 3Grapes3rd in California89,041 acres
  4. 4Hay6th in California61,068 acres
  5. 5Oranges2nd in California38,987 acres
  6. 6Carrots1st in California20,571 acres
  7. 7Tangerines2nd in California17,794 acres
  8. 8Pomegranates2nd in California10,978 acres
  9. 9Tomatoes9th in California9,792 acres
  10. 10Potatoes1st in California9,668 acres

How does Kern County rank?

Each item's rank among counties in California and in the US, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture measure shown. An asterisk means the rank is among counties with published figures; a county whose figure is withheld could rank higher.

Kern County rankings, 2022 Census of Agriculture, top 15 by share of CA
ItemAmountState rankUS rankShare of CAMeasure
Potatoes9,668 acres124*42%acres harvested
Pomegranates10,978 acres22*36%bearing acres
Carrots20,571 acres11*34%acres harvested
Pistachios132,640 acres11*33%bearing acres
Tangerines17,794 acres22*25%bearing acres
Oranges38,987 acres25*24%bearing acres
Sheep110,321 sheep1221%head on farms
Grapefruit1,681 acres36*18%bearing acres
Watermelon2,408 acres210*17%acres harvested
Almonds216,183 acres22*16%bearing acres
Honeydew1,579 acres33*16%acres harvested
Honey3.6 million pounds23*13%production
Lemons6,862 acres33*11%bearing acres
Grapes89,041 acres33*11%bearing acres
Chile peppers318 acres3*9*10%acres harvested
Show all 44 items
Kern County rankings, items 16 to 44
ItemAmountState rankUS rankShare of CAMeasure
Bell peppers1,094 acres47*9%acres harvested
Apples775 acres4*44*8%bearing acres
Green beans586 acres561*8%acres harvested
Milk129,250 milk cows688%head on farms
Sweet cherries2,401 acres514*7%bearing acres
Cattle326,215 cattle6176%head on farms
Onions3,141 acres3*13*6%acres harvested
Hay381,729 tons6115%production
Cabbage696 acres719*4%acres harvested
Tomatoes9,792 acres9104%acres harvested
Wheat428,075 bushels7637*4%production
Squash180 acres10*60*3%acres harvested
Cantaloupe583 acres8*11*2%acres harvested
Hogs1,704 hogs4*632*2%head on farms
Broccoli2,008 acres88*2%acres harvested
Goats1,890 goats20*219*1%head on farms
Peaches533 acres1120*1%bearing acres
Sweet potatoes335 acres435*1%acres harvested
Pears87 acres4*17*under 1%bearing acres
Dates117 acres2*2*under 1%bearing acres
Plums413 acres10*11*under 1%bearing acres
Lettuce1,901 acres1010*under 1%acres harvested
Olives192 acres14*15*under 1%bearing acres
Sweet corn69 acres11*324*under 1%acres harvested
Strawberries62 acres6*22*under 1%bearing acres
Pumpkins4 acres30*864*under 1%acres harvested
Apricots3 acres18*40*under 1%bearing acres
Turkeys418 turkeys5*259*under 1%head on farms
Cucumbers1 acre34*834*under 1%acres harvested

Also reported here, but withheld by NASS to protect individual farms: corn, sorghum, barley, oats, dry beans, cauliflower, celery, green peas, spinach, kale, collard greens, garlic, asparagus, blueberries, blackberries, nectarines, avocados, figs, kiwifruit, walnuts, hazelnuts, chickens and eggs.

Reported at less than half a unit (for example, under half an acre): Brussels sprouts.

What livestock does Kern County raise?

Kern County livestock and poultry, 2022 Census of Agriculture
AnimalHeadState rankMeasure
Cattle326,2156head on farms
Milk cows129,2506head on farms
Sheep110,3211head on farms
Goats1,89020*head on farms
Hogs1,7044*head on farms
Turkeys4185*head on farms

Other farm counties in California

Top California counties by farm sales, 2022
CountyFarm sales
Fresno County$7 billion
Tulare County$6.4 billion
Monterey County$5.5 billion
Merced County$4 billion
Imperial County$3 billion
San Joaquin County$3 billion
Stanislaus County$2.9 billion
Santa Barbara County$2.6 billion
Kings County$2.1 billion
Ventura County$2.1 billion
Madera County$2 billion
Riverside County$1.3 billion

What does California grow? State overview and county map →

About this data

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture, the only NASS source that covers every county. The Census is taken every five years; the next is for 2027. Values NASS withholds to avoid disclosing individual farms are shown as withheld, never as zero. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.