HUD PIH directory · Section 8 / HCV

Housing Authority of the County of Kern, Section 8 / HCV PHA profile

Housing Authority of the County of Kern administers federal Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, CA, with 4,524 authorized HCV units (HUD High Performer size bracket). Contact details, payment-standard reference, and nearby PHAs to broaden your waitlist strategy.

4,524
Authorized HCV units
94th
National size percentile
74th
CA size percentile
51
CA FMR areas
HUD PIH FY25 directory CA · Section 8 / HCV 4,524 HCV units High Performer bracket 74th percentile in CA
Browse all CA PHAs

How this PHA compares nearby

Authorized HCV units · HA vs nearby CA agencies

units
Source HUD PIH authorized-unit directory As of FY2025

The verdict

Housing Authority of the County of Kern administers 4,524 authorized Housing Choice Vouchers - a mid-to-large Section 8 agency nationally, larger than 74% of CA agencies.

4,524
authorized Section 8 vouchers
94th
percentile by size, nationally
74th
percentile in CA
A-
Composite Score
80/100
Housing Authority of the County of Kern

Based on authorized voucher scale, HUD's own PHAS performance designation, and state-wide housing-cost context from federal sources -- not wait-list length, application difficulty, unit quality, or day-to-day service experience.

Scale A+
4,524 units
Authorized Section 8 / HCV units, national percentile among reporting PHAs
HUD Performance A+
High Performer
HUD's own Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) designation
Cost Context F
$1,625/mo
State-wide median 2BR payment standard (51 areas, 2026) -- not this PHA's specific service area
4,524 Section 8 units

HUD's directory lists Housing Authority of the County of Kern in CA with a reported Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher authorization with 4,524 authorized Section 8 units (High Performer size bracket). Contact the agency directly to verify current programs, availability, and application information.

  • 74th percentile by unit count in CA
  • HUD size bracket: High Performer
Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Section 8 / HCV units

4,524

Mid-to-large nationally · High Performer bracket

Total authorized units

231

Mid-to-large nationally · all programs combined

State-rank percentile

74 th

Above median among CA PHAs

2-BR standard range · CA

$1,108–$4,214 /mo

Median $1,625/mo · 2-BR

Scale profile for Housing Authority of the County of Kern

With 4,524 authorized Housing Choice Voucher units, Housing Authority of the County of Kern sits at the 94th percentile of every U.S. PHA that reports an HCV ceiling , and at the 74th percentile inside CA. That puts it among the larger local administrators of federal rental assistance, not a single-office rural authority.

Across CA's 51 HUD FMR areas, FY2026 2-bedroom payment standards run $1,108–$4,214/month (median $1,625). A large PHA like this typically serves more than one FMR area, so applicants should look up the metro-specific standard rather than treating the state median as their number. 5 other CA PHAs appear in the nearby list below; comparing authorized-unit counts there shows whether Housing Authority of the County of Kern is the dominant local issuer or one of several large peers.

Section 8 / HCV share of Housing Authority of the County of Kern authorized units 100.0%
HUD nationwide median

The nationwide HUD median sits at 62%; agencies running a higher HCV share than that tend to lean toward tenant-based vouchers rather than project-based public housing stock.

Where Housing Authority of the County of Kern sits among U.S. PHAs

By authorized Housing Choice Vouchers, across every PHA that runs them. Most are small; a handful of big-city authorities run the long right tail.

4,524 Top 6% higher than 94% of 2,129 voucher-running PHAs

0–10,000: 2,086 voucher-running PHAs (98%). This entry sits in this band. 10,000–20,000: 29 voucher-running PHAs (1%). Above this entry. 20,000–30,000: 8 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 30,000–40,000: 1 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 40,000–50,000: 1 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 50,000–60,000: 3 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 60,000–70,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 70,000–80,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 80,000–90,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 90,000–100,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 100,000–110,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 110,000–120,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 120,000–130,000: 1 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. This PHA 0 130,000 every voucher-running PHA, bucketed by value

Each bar is a 10,000-wide band; taller bars hold more voucher-running PHAs. 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 HUD PIH authorized-unit directory · FY2025

What HUD's PIH Record for Housing Authority of the County of Kern Tells You

Housing Authority of the County of Kern appears in HUD's Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Open Data set, one of 3,780 Public Housing Authorities nationwide running the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program alongside every other agency in CA. This agency's HUD authorization runs to 4,524 Section 8 / HCV units, out of 231 total authorized units when every HUD program is counted. HUD's PHAS system places it in the "High Performer" size bracket, which shapes reporting cadence and oversight intensity.

By Section 8 unit count among CA agencies, it lands at the 74th percentile, larger than 74% of its in-state peers. HUD logs its program type as "Combined," which determines which voucher streams (regular HCV, VASH, Family Unification, Mainstream, or project-based conversions) it can run. HUD reports this authorized-unit figure as a capacity field. It is not a live waitlist, availability, eligibility, or application-status signal.

Across CA's 51 HUD FMR areas, the FY2026 2-bedroom payment standard runs $1,108-$4,214/month (median $1,625); Housing Authority of the County of Kern sets its own figure within 90-110 percent of HUD's Fair Market Rent for the specific area it serves, so confirm the exact number for your metro before signing anything. its main line is 6616318500. Verify current programs, availability, and any application path directly with the agency.

Contact this PHA

Phone
6616318500
Fax
6616319500
Email
JMaldonado@kernha.org
Executive Director
spelz@kernha.org · 6616318500
How to apply at Housing Authority of the County of Kern

How to use this PHA record

HUD's directory reports 4,524 authorized Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher units for Housing Authority of the County of Kern. That is a reported authorization field, not a live waitlist, application, eligibility, or availability feed.

Use the contact details above to verify an agency's current programs and instructions directly. PlainVoucher does not predict an individual wait time, recommend an application path, or infer a household's eligibility from this directory record.

Payment standard reference

Payment standards are set per HUD FMR area, not per agency. Across CA's 51 HUD FMR areas, the FY2026 2-bedroom payment standard ranges $1,108–$4,214/month (median $1,625). These are area reference amounts, not a payment promise from Housing Authority of the County of Kern for a particular household or unit.

Find your exact number: look up the 2-, 1-, and 3-bedroom payment standards for your metro with the payment-standard lookup tool, then confirm the current figure with the agency before relying on it. See our Payment Standards vs. FMR guide for the source-backed area context.

Nationwide PHAs with similar voucher scale or total HUD inventory

Two cross-state peer sets for Housing Authority of the County of Kern, outside CA so they are not the same-state scale matches above.

Similar authorized HCV units

Nearest nationwide agencies outside CA (4,524 HCV units here).

Similar total HUD units

Nearest nationwide agencies by combined program inventory outside CA (231 total units here).

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on HUD PIH authorized Section 8 units and total program inventory; agencies below 100 units on a metric are excluded from that axis.

Nearby PHAs in CA

Comparable CA PHA records, ordered by reported unit count:

Compare PHAs in CA side by side →

What to do with this PHA profile

Housing Authority of the County of Kern is a HUD PIH directory record with 4,524 authorized HCV units.

  • Open the California state directory for PHA-count vs authorized-HCV context. California PHAs
  • Look up the HUD Fair Market Rent schedule that covers this market before reading payment-standard ranges. Payment standards
  • Read the process guides for waitlists, income limits, and portability - they explain HUD rules, not whether a household should apply. Guides hub

PlainVoucher is not affiliated with HUD or this PHA. Directory figures are informational only. Eligibility, waitlist status, and application routes are set by the PHA and change frequently - confirm with the agency directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the HUD record show for Housing Authority of the County of Kern?

HUD's PIH directory reports 4,524 authorized Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher units for Housing Authority of the County of Kern in CA. That authorization is a reported program-size field, not proof of a current waitlist, application route, eligibility decision, or available voucher.

Can I apply through this Housing Authority of the County of Kern profile?

No. PlainVoucher's HUD directory record does not carry a live application or waitlist feed. Use the agency contact details to verify current programs, availability, application instructions, and eligibility directly before relying on this profile.

Is Housing Authority of the County of Kern part of HUD?

HUD lists Housing Authority of the County of Kern in its Public and Indian Housing directory as a local Public Housing Authority. This profile preserves HUD's reported record and contact fields; it does not establish the agency's current services or policies.

How should I read the payment-standard reference?

Payment standards vary by HUD Fair Market Rent area. PlainVoucher shows the published area reference, not a payment promise for a specific agency, household, or unit; confirm the current local figure directly before signing a lease.

Related guides

Source: HUD PIH Open Data (FY25). The PHA directory source was consolidated in April 2026. Payment-standard figures: Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent FY2026. If any contact detail has changed, please email corrections@plainvoucher.com. See our methodology for how we compile and cross-reference this data.

⚠ Disclaimer. PlainVoucher is not affiliated with HUD or with Housing Authority of the County of Kern. Data here is compiled from HUD public sources for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for consulting the PHA directly about eligibility, waitlist status, or application procedures.

Read our methodology, how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. · Verify with HUD →

Source and method. PlainVoucher compiles public HUD and U.S. Census release data into a searchable reference. Release periods and source boundaries are identified on each data surface; PlainVoucher does not determine eligibility, waitlist status, payment standards, or local PHA rules. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy, methodology, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-09-02.