How healthy is the county around Bakersfield?

CDC PLACES model-based estimates for the county that contains Bakersfield, CA — chronic conditions, mental health, insurance coverage and health behaviors, compared with the state average.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: County Data (model-based small-area estimates).

This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.

What the CDC's numbers say about health in Kern.

Adults who say their health is fair or poor: 28.1% — CA average: 22.9%

Chronic conditions, share of adults

Obesity: 36
Diagnosed diabetes: 13.3
High blood pressure: 32
Current asthma: 10.3
COPD: 6.4
Coronary heart disease: 6.2

Health behaviors, share of adults

Currently smoke: 14.6
Binge drinking: 16.8
No leisure-time physical activity: 31.9
Sleeping less than 7 hours: 38.5

Mental health

Frequent mental distress: 20
Depression: 22.8

Adults 18–64 without health insurance: 16.7% — CA average: 10.3%

What it means

Compared with the rest of CA, the biggest difference here is no leisure-time physical activity — 31.9% locally versus 25.0% statewide.

The county does better than the state on cancer (excluding skin) (5.6% versus 8.0%).

70.7% of adults had a routine checkup in the past year.

PLACES figures are modeled estimates, not counts. The CDC combines national survey responses with local population data to estimate rates for every county, so treat them as well-grounded approximations.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates — Population, income, housing, education, commuting and poverty figures
Census Bureau API — ACS Detailed Tables — The endpoint these pages are generated from
data.census.gov — Look up the same tables for any place yourself
ACS accuracy statement — Estimates carry margins of error; small places vary the most

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