Pilottravelcenter, 2006
Lost Hills’s story
115 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,212 in 1990, 2,370 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1932 on.
- 1911Lost Hills is settled
Lost HillsCA
The town was settled in 1911 and has 1,926 residents today.
Population
1,926
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$255K
−6.4% in a year
Household income
$46K
median
Median age
25.1
years
Jobs based here
742
A job hub
Is Lost Hills a good place to live?
Lost Hills’ weakest subject grade is a D− for incomes. Lost Hills’ peak summer temperature is 97°F, above both California’s towns (89°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). On incomes, just 31 of California’s 1,056 towns do worse. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. Lost Hills’ density of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both California’s towns (1.0) and U.S. towns (0.4). Lost Hills has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lost Hills stand out
Where Lost Hills beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A job hub
Every workday, about 708 people come to Lost Hills for work
Where Lost Hills’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
742jobs based in Lost Hills
8%of working residents work in town
36 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lost Hills grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Lost Hills is from typical.
Jobs & income$46K median household incomeD−Open →HealthAdventist Health Delano 26.2 miles awayDOpen →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 4.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $255K, 3.6 years of the Bakersfield metro’s $70K median household incomeBOpen →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Housing market$255K typical home, down 6.4% in a year–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 25.1; 2% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Lost Hills: who provides what
Lost Hills is unincorporated, so Kern County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLost Hills Utility DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesKern CountyKern County provides services here
SchoolsWasco Union High School DistrictLost Hills Union Elementary School District2 districts serve Lost Hills; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKern County Clerk - Elections OfficeKern County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code9324993249 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lost Hills.
HousingCost of living grade B
Compared with most of California and the rest of the country, the median rent in Lost Hills is lower
41% of Lost Hills households are owner-occupiers. Values fell 6.4% in the year to September 2026.
$255KZillow home value
| Lost Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $841 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Lost Hills$255K
California$762K
−6.4%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB−
Lost Hills’ schools rank ahead of 50% of California districts
The largest public high school is Wonderful College Prep Academy - Lost Hills, with 535 students. The Wonderful College Prep Academy - Lost Hills District runs its public schools. Its one school is below.
50%of CA districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wonderful College Prep Academy - Lost HillsLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 535 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
A job hub: Lost Hills has 1.8 jobs for every working resident and draws in 708 commuters
Jobs based in Lost Hills grew to 742 in 2023, 343 more than in 2013. Commuting out is the norm here: 8% of working residents work locally. Nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line locally. Half commute less than 36 miles.
8%work in town
| Lost Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Lost Hills8%
Bakersfield12%
Wasco8%
Delano6%
Shafter6%
36 mi
median commute distance
742
jobs based in Lost Hills
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthD
A smaller share of adults in Lost Hills had a checkup this year than in the typical California or U.S. town
The share of adults in Lost Hills who smoke cigarettes: 16%. Only 9 of the 848 California towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Lost Hills. In Lost Hills, just over a fifth of adults report frequent mental distress, and 41% get no exercise outside work. Of 32 CDC measures, Lost Hills beats the California average on 3 and trails it on 21.
9%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Lost Hills | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 22% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 24% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 16% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
3 better8 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Lost Hills | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 2.8% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 15.6% | 20.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 31.7% | 10.6% |
Adventist Health Delano
26.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Lost Hills has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from earthquakes
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 43% of Lost Hills’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 31% to inland flooding.
80risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingHeat waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–60°
Spring49–77°
Summer64–95°
Fall52–80°
Nov 26
typical first frost
Feb 9
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
In Lost Hills, 0.2% of the land is conserved
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 0.8 miles. Parks and preserves in Lost Hills: one, of 16 acres.
0.2%conserved
0.2%
conserved · 7 of 3,553 acres
0.8 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lost Hills Park | 0.8 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lost Hills
17pages on Lost Hills
The big questions
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lost Hills; the nearest are
Taft CollegeCommunity college · Public · Taft35.6 mi$1,108 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-BakersfieldUniversity or college · Public · Bakersfield37.7 mi$8,090 in-state tuitionLemoore CollegeCommunity college · Public · Lemoore46.3 mi$1,384 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Lost Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
About Lost Hills
Place in California, United States
Lost Hills (formerly, Lost Hill) is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States. Lost Hills is located 42 miles (68 km) west-northwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 305 feet (93 m). For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Lost Hills as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 2,370 at the 2020 census, down from 2,412 at the 2010 census. A rest stop by Interstate 5 including restaurants, gasoline stations, and motels is located about one-mile (1.6 km) east of the town. The Wonderful Company is a major employer of Lost Hills residents.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 305 ft
- ZIP code
- 93249
- Area code
- 661
Questions about Lost Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lost Hills, CA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.