City safety & data profile

RidgecrestCA

Ridgecrest, CA is a 29K-resident city in Kern County with a median household income of $89,250.

Kern County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Ridgecrest, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Ridgecrest has a population larger than 61% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $253,900, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

29K
Population
Top 39%
By size
$89,250
Median income
$253,900
Median home
12.5%
Poverty rate

The read on Ridgecrest

Ridgecrest posts a median household income higher than 60% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Ridgecrest area.

Top 40%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Ridgecrest

Where Ridgecrest income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$89,250 Top 40% higher than 60% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. CA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Ridgecrest, CA beyond the headline numbers

Ridgecrest sits inside Kern County, California, at roughly 35.62°N, -117.67°W. Population 28,780, $89,250 median household income. Median home value $253,900, median rent $1,186. Poverty rate 12.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Ridgecrest's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 35.8%, then obesity at 32%. 1 hospital in/around Ridgecrest, 0 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Ridgecrest from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
28,780
Ridgecrest
Median Income
$89,250
+31% vs avg
Median Home Value
$253,900
+11% vs avg
Median Age
33.4
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Kern County) - Ridgecrest's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
915K+8%
Median Income
$70,210+45%
Median Home Value
$338,300+109%
Poverty Rate
19.1%-17%
Unemployment
8.6%-37%

Economics

Economics indicators for Ridgecrest, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,186/mo
Poverty Rate
12.5% -12% vs avg
Unemployment 7.3%
Bachelor's Degree+ 30.9%
Work From Home 11%
Public Transit 0.4%

Population

White 65.6%
African American 4.4%
Asian 4.2%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
35.8%
Obesity
32%
High Blood Pressure
30.8%
Physical Inactivity
23.1%
Frequent Mental Distress
19.5%
Binge Drinking
18.4%
Frequent Physical Distress
13.6%
Current Smoking
12.8%
Current Asthma
10.9%
Diabetes
10.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 64.1%
Annual Checkup 72.5%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
8.3%
Coronary Heart Disease
5.7%
Stroke
3.1%

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Ridgecrest, CA? ▼
Ridgecrest, CA has a population of 28,780 people, located in Kern County, California.
What is the median household income in Ridgecrest? ▼
The median household income in Ridgecrest, CA is $89,250 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 12.5%.
What is the median home value in Ridgecrest? ▼
The median home value in Ridgecrest, CA is $253,900. Median rent is $1,186/month.
What are the top health concerns in Ridgecrest? ▼
The top health indicators in Ridgecrest include Short Sleep Duration (35.8%), Obesity (32%), High Blood Pressure (30.8%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Ridgecrest? ▼
Ridgecrest has 1 hospital. 0 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Ridgecrest? ▼
The median age in Ridgecrest, CA is 33.4 years. 30.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Ridgecrest, CA is located in Kern County, California. With a population of 29K and a $89,250 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital. Safety alerts for the Ridgecrest area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - California

Real-time AQI for every monitored California location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

California City, CA 13K Rosamond, CA 18K Tehachapi, CA 13K Barstow, CA 24K Barstow Heights, CA 24K Lake Los Angeles, CA 12K Lancaster, CA 161K Adelanto, CA 33K
All cities in California → Compare Ridgecrest vs California City → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Ridgecrest's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Ridgecrest area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Ridgecrest against California peers on any ranking lens. Explore California

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Kern County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.