City safety & data profile

ShafterCA

Shafter, CA is a 18K-resident city in Kern County with a median household income of $71,215.

Kern County, California. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Shafter, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Shafter has a population larger than 39% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $335,800.

Data updated 2026-07-20

18K
Population
Top 61%
By size
$71,215
Median income
$335,800
Median home
20.7%
Poverty rate

The read on Shafter

Shafter posts a median household income higher than 38% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 62%
by median income, US cities

Where Shafter income ranks nationally

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

$71,215 Bottom 38% higher than 38% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $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 Shafter, CA beyond the headline numbers

Shafter sits inside Kern County, California, at roughly 35.50°N, -119.27°W. Population 18,336, $71,215 median household income. Median home value $335,800, median rent $1,253. Poverty rate 20.7%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Shafter's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 40.1%, then obesity at 38.3%.

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

Population
18,336
Shafter
Median Income
$71,215
+5% vs avg
Median Home Value
$335,800
+47% vs avg
Median Age
28.1
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Kern County) - Shafter'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 Shafter, CA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,253/mo
Poverty Rate
20.7% +46% vs avg
Unemployment 5.8%
Bachelor's Degree+ 12.2%
Work From Home 4.4%
Public Transit 0.5%

Population

White 30.6%
African American 1.4%
Asian 2.6%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
40.1%
Obesity
38.3%
Physical Inactivity
35.9%
High Blood Pressure
29.5%
Lack of Health Insurance
23.4%
Frequent Mental Distress
21.2%
Binge Drinking
17.5%
Frequent Physical Distress
17.1%
Current Smoking
15.2%
Diabetes
13.4%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 48.4%
Annual Checkup 67.7%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
10.1%
Coronary Heart Disease
5.6%
Stroke
3.2%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Shafter, CA? ▼
Shafter, CA has a population of 18,336 people, located in Kern County, California.
What is the median household income in Shafter? ▼
The median household income in Shafter, CA is $71,215 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 20.7%.
What is the median home value in Shafter? ▼
The median home value in Shafter, CA is $335,800. Median rent is $1,253/month.
What are the top health concerns in Shafter? ▼
The top health indicators in Shafter include Short Sleep Duration (40.1%), Obesity (38.3%), Physical Inactivity (35.9%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Shafter? ▼
The median age in Shafter, CA is 28.1 years. 12.2% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Shafter, CA is located in Kern County, California. With a population of 18K and a $71,215 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Safety alerts for the Shafter 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

Wasco, CA 26K Rosedale, CA 14K McFarland, CA 14K Oildale, CA 33K Delano, CA 53K Bakersfield, CA 374K Lamont, CA 15K Arvin, CA 21K
All cities in California → Compare Shafter vs Wasco → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Shafter'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 Shafter 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 Shafter 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.