Is China Lake Acres a good place to live?
The data are hard on it. Walkability is its weak spot (D−). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. At C− overall, China Lake Acres is better than 18% of U.S. towns and ranks 510th of 841 in California. Incomes are weaker too: the median household income is $69K, and just over a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. Cost of living is its strong suit: a typical home costs about $160K, 2.3 years of the Bakersfield metro’s $70K median household income. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. China Lake Acres’ typical July afternoon high is 102°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
How China Lake Acres grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far China Lake Acres is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
99% of working residents leave China Lake Acres for work
Where China Lake Acres’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in China Lake Acres.
China Lake Acres trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Top of a very high hazard risk in China Lake Acres: earthquakes
Of the losses FEMA expects in China Lake Acres, 52% come from earthquakes and 41% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fewer of China Lake Acres’ working residents work locally than in the typical California or U.S. town
China Lake Acres has 54 jobs for its 511 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 22.4 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
The top destinations are Ridgecrest (43%), Los Angeles (5%) and Bakersfield (5%). For residents in China Lake Acres, the share who live below the poverty line is 22%.
| China Lake Acres | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 6.6% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical January night in China Lake Acres is 33°F, against 41°F in California’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns
The Inyokern weather station records that about 137 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 102.3°, hotter than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 32.9°.
Summers in China Lake Acres are scorching, and winters mild, with very little rain. Snow almost never falls.
| China Lake Acres | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 102°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 33°F | 41°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0% of China Lake Acres is conserved land
Just 0 of its 3,321 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in China Lake Acres itself; its outdoors grade is D.
1.6 miles of trail. The density of trails in China Lake Acres is 0.3 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
China Lake Acres is healthier than 50% of U.S. towns
Against the 10,401 U.S. towns with household incomes like China Lake Acres’s, it is healthier than 65%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
In China Lake Acres, 33% of adults have obesity. On the CDC’s 32 measures, China Lake Acres is ahead of California on 4 and behind on 8. Nearly a fifth of adults in China Lake Acres report frequent mental distress; 17% binge drink.
| China Lake Acres | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | China Lake Acres | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 10.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14% | 17.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A home in China Lake Acres sells for about $370K at the median
Homes are within reach (B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 2.3 years of the Bakersfield metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 99% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
For China Lake Acres, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,283 a month. Among households in the town, 68% live in a home they own.
| China Lake Acres | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,283 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about China Lake Acres
Death Valley National Park and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around China Lake Acres. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi National ParkDeath Valley National Park1.3M visitors a year
22 mi State parkRed Rock Canyon State Park
22 mi Park & preserveTrona Pinnacles
17 mi Park & preserveBurro Schmidt Tunnel
6 mi MuseumMaturango Museum
7 mi MuseumNaval Museum of Armament & TechnologyPhoto credits
Death Valley National Park: Greg Willis from Denver, CO, usa, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Red Rock Canyon State Park: Jean trans h+, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Trona Pinnacles: Doug Dolde at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Burro Schmidt Tunnel: Kurtis2014, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maturango Museum: Qfl247 (talk) (Transferred by Citypeek/Original uploaded by Qfl247), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Naval Museum of Armament & Technology: U.S. Navy photo by Geoffrey Patrick., Public domain
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Moving to China Lake Acres: who provides what
China Lake Acres is unincorporated, so Kern County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of China Lake Acres
About 5 of every 100 China Lake Acres residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About China Lake Acres
Place in California, United States
China Lake Acres is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 1,757 at the 2020 census, down from 1,876 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,431 ft
China Lake Acres’s neighbors
One town shares a border with China Lake Acres.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China Lake Acres | #510 | C− | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Inyokern | — | — | — | — | — | — |
China Lake Acres reports no FBI crime data of its own. Inyokern isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare China Lake Acres with a neighbor →
Questions about China Lake Acres
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is China Lake Acres, CA a good place to live?
China Lake Acres grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #510 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is China Lake Acres, CA expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $160,000, 79% below the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
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