01-2007-LakeIsabella-SE-fork, 2007
Weldon’s story
155 years in pictures
Census counts: 2,387 in 2000, 2,303 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
- 1871Weldon is settled
WeldonCA
A town of 2,493, settled in 1871.
Population
2,493
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$194K
+4% in a year
Household income
$35K
median
Median age
60.0
years
Jobs based here
215
A commuter town
Is Weldon a good place to live?
Weldon’s best subject grade is an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 18% of the land in Weldon is conserved, where California’s towns sit at 4.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Weldon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Weldon stand out
Where Weldon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A shrinking town
Weldon has shrunk 13% from 2010 to 2020
2,642 counted in 2010 and 2,303 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Weldon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Weldon is from typical.
Jobs & income$35K median household income; 215 jobs based hereD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listD−Open →HealthLess healthy than 92% of U.S. towns; Kern Valley Healthcare District 5.5 miles awayDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 5.9% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →SchoolsB−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.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 60.0; 10% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Weldon: who provides what
Weldon is unincorporated, so Kern County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSouthern California Edison31.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCWS Southlake SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers92% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKern CountyKern County provides services here
SchoolsKern High School DistrictSouth Fork Union School District2 districts serve Weldon; 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 codes93283, 9324093283 73% · 93240 27%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 Weldon.
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Weldon fall behind 54% of California districts
Its public schools are run by the South Fork Union school district. Enrollment at Weldon’s public school: 348 students.
46%of CA districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Fork ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 348 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade C+
Homes in Weldon are worth about $194K, by Zillow’s estimate
The median rent for Weldon comes to $1,120 a month, below both California’s towns ($1,896 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Nearly four in five households are owner-occupiers here. Also worth knowing: typical home values rose 4% in the year to September 2026.
$194KZillow home value
| Weldon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,120 a month | $1,896 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 64% | 73% |
Typical home value
Weldon$194K
California$762K
+4%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthD
Weldon stands out in California and nationally, with more of its adults who report frequent physical distress
Against the California average, Weldon comes out ahead on 3 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 20. In Weldon, 31% of adults say their health is fair or poor. Only 9 of the 848 California towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Weldon.
8%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Weldon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 31% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. California
3 better9 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | Weldon | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.5% | 10.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.4% | 71.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 13% | 5.1% |
Kern Valley Healthcare District
5.5 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−
Top of a very high hazard risk in Weldon: inland flooding
Weldon’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 93 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 41% come from inland flooding and 38% from wildfires. Federal aid has come to Weldon households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
93risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireEarthquakes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
With only 0.3 jobs per working resident, most people in Weldon work out of town
In Weldon, the average trip to work is 18 minutes. Commuting out is the norm here: 6% of working residents work locally. For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 29%. Half of commuters travel less than 42 miles.
6%work in town
| Weldon | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 29% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Weldon6%
Mountain Mesa15%
Bakersfield11%
Lake Isabella10%
Los Angeles6%
42 mi
median commute distance
215
jobs based in Weldon
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsA−
Open space protected for good: 18.3% of Weldon
23 miles of trail. In Weldon, the trail network density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
18.3%conserved
18.3%
conserved · 3,127 of 17,083 acres
23 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Expect four seasons and hot summers in Weldon
July afternoons reach 98° and January nights drop to 32°.
98°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter32–59°
Spring43–74°
Summer61–96°
Fall46–79°
Nov 3
typical first frost
Apr 5
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
98°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Weldon
17pages on Weldon
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Weldon; the nearest are
Cerro Coso Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ridgecrest36.4 mi$1,384 in-state tuitionCalifornia State University-BakersfieldUniversity or college · Public · Bakersfield49.2 mi$8,090 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Weldon residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Weldon for work
Where Weldon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
215jobs based in Weldon
6%of working residents work in town
42 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Weldon’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Weldon.
How the neighbors grade
Weldon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Weldon reports no FBI crime data of its own. Onyx isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Weldon with a neighbor →
Questions about Weldon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Weldon, CA expensive?
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($70,210 across the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.