Mission Statement

Improve the economic viability of the County and its residents by facilitating the creation and retention of employment opportunities.

Goals

The goals of the County's Economic Development effort are to expand the County's economy by developing businesses in six industry clusters:

• Value-Added Agriculture
• Transportation and Logistics
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Aerospace and Defense
• Tourism, Recreation and Entertainment
• Healthcare Services

Developing business in these clusters will in turn improve employment opportunities for County residents.

To achieve these goals, the County created a Partnership of numerous entities to help existing businesses to expand and to encourage the location of new business in Kern County. For additional information, see the Economic Development Partnership section of this page.

Kern County Free Speech Policy (PDF)

The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is updated each year to maintain the eligibility of Kern County applicants to apply for and receive U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration grant assistance. Projects must result in private capital investment and the creation of new jobs. Each Annual Update is approved by the Kern County Board of Supervisors.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (PDF)

The Economic Development Dashboard is a digital tool that provides real-time data and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure and assess the state of the County’s economy and its economic development initiatives.  It is designed to enhance transparency, accountability, and decision-making by visualizing information such as business growth, employment trends, building permitting activity, and more. The dashboard allows for data-driven governance, improving efficiency and responsiveness to community needs.

This initiative has been made possible by partnering with Stanford Impact Labs, through the Evidence for Policy Fellowship, a program designed to integrate data, evidence, and research into the design and implementation of policy priorities. Any inquiries regarding the dashboard or its data sources data may be directed to the County Administrative Office’s Economic Development Division at CAOmailbox@xlhl.net.

View Economic Development Dashboard

View Economic Development Dashboard References

View JobsEQ Economic Overview Report

The Board of Supervisors directed the County Administrative Office to coordinate the efforts of the Partnership and make periodic reports to the Board of Supervisors regarding the Partnership's activities. The Board of Supervisors also designated the Kern Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) as the County’s lead economic development entity.

Additionally, the County and KEDC continue to partner with educational institutions, employee training programs, and non-profit business service organizations to promote and advance the region’s economic development goals. Links to local and state partners can be found on the Local Economic Development Resources page and the State Economic Development Resources page.

Implementing the Strategy requires a joint venture of numerous entities to assist existing businesses expand and encourage the location of new business in Kern County.

Questions regarding the County's Economic Development Strategy may be addressed to:

Jim Damian
County Administrative Office
1115 Truxtun Avenue, 5th Floor
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 868-3183
jimd@xlhl.net

The Board designated the Kern Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) as the County's lead economic development entity. All business inquiries regarding potential sites and general information regarding business services may be directed to KEDC by contacting:

Richard D. Chapman, President, CEO
(661) 862-5161
chapmanr@kedc.com