Kern County

What Kern County does

Kern County is a county government entity established in 1866 and headquartered in Bakersfield, California. It operates as a political subdivision of the State of California, providing mandated public services to residents including law enforcement, fire services, health and social services, public works, property assessment, voting and elections, and court administration through multiple county departments headquartered at the County Administrative Center at 1115 Truxtun Avenue and supporting facilities across the city.

As an employer, Kern County delivers a self-service employee portal at kerncountyemployees.com built on the Granicus platform. The portal centralizes access to payroll through the integrated AuditorNet system, health benefits enrollment (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning tools (KCERA 401(a) defined benefit estimator, Voya-administered 457 deferred compensation, retiree health benefits), employee onboarding, return-to-work programs, recognition and suggestion awards, and HR policy documentation. Supporting infrastructure includes the Granicus-hosted Kern County TV streaming platform for Board of Supervisors meetings and a Social Security Administration partnership for FICA contributions.

The entity is not a commercial enterprise: it has no revenue model, no parent company in the corporate sense, and no private shareholders. It is funded through tax revenue and administered by an elected Board of Supervisors. Adjacent commercial partnerships exist only as employee perks, including Strata Credit Union (banking), Guardian (life insurance underwriting), and multiple discounted gym memberships (Body Xchange Sports Club at $22.99/month through 2026, Planet Fitness, Mojave Fitness Center, Vulcan Fitness, Iron Valley Fitness, One Core Fitness, OnPoint Gym). The unionized workforce is governed by Memoranda of Understanding with bargaining units such as SEIU.

Name

Kern County

Legal name

County of Kern

Website

https://kerncountyemployees.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1866

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kern County is a California county government headquartered in Bakersfield that delivers mandated public services to residents and operates a Granicus-based employee self-service portal for payroll, benefits, retirement planning, and HR services to its county workforce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Services

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121), Other General Government Support (92119)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Payroll Processing (BPACAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Managed Payroll Services (Full-Service Payroll Outsourcing) (BPAAAHAA), Benefits Deductions & Payroll Integration Administration (BPAAAHAF), Payroll & Employment Tax Services (BPAHABAD)

Keywords

• Government employee benefits
• Public sector HR services
• Employee self-service portal
• Retirement planning resources
• Health benefits administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kern County operates an employee self-service web portal that provides county employees centralized access to payroll information, health benefits enrollment, retirement planning tools, employee recognition programs, HR policies, and workplace resources. The portal is built on the Granicus platform and integrates with external systems including AuditorNet for payroll and Office 365 for email. As a county government entity, Kern County also delivers public services to residents through various county departments.

Product overview

Kern County's employee benefits platform is a web-based self-service portal providing county employees access to HR services including payroll management through the integrated AuditorNet system, comprehensive health benefits enrollment, retirement planning tools (KCERA, Deferred Compensation, PEHP), employee recognition and suggestion award programs, workplace essentials such as onboarding and return-to-work programs, and various leave management options. The platform connects to external services including retirement administration (KCERA), credit union services (Strata), and email/Office 365. Core functionality centers on employee self-service for payroll, benefits, and HR policy access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee Self-Service Portal Web-based portal providing Kern County employees access to payroll, benefits, retirement planning, HR policies, and workplace resources through a centralized online interface built on the Granicus platform.
• AuditorNet Payroll System Online payroll system allowing Kern County employees to view paystubs and access payroll advice through a dedicated portal.
• Health Benefits Enrollment Health benefits enrollment service providing medical, dental, and vision coverage options with plan comparisons and premium information for Kern County employees.
• Retirement Planning Tools Suite of retirement planning tools including the KCERA benefit estimator, deferred compensation resources, and retiree health benefits planning to help employees prepare for retirement.
• Employee Award Programs Employee recognition programs including Employee Referral Award, Recognition Awards, and Suggestion Awards designed to motivate and reward exemplary employee performance.
• Employee Onboarding Onboarding program providing new permanent and temporary employees with information about health benefits, retirement options, and other employment resources during the onboarding process.
• Return to Work Program Program providing temporary limited duty assignments for employees with occupational injuries and modified work options for those permanently incapacitated.
• County-Paid Life Insurance Employer-provided life insurance coverage underwritten by Guardian, with benefit amounts varying by employee classification: $400,000 for management, $100,000 for confidential employees, and $20,000 for represented employees.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Strata Credit UnionminorOthersStrata Credit Union provides banking services to Kern County employees. Services include payroll deduction program ($25 minimum per payday), ATM locations, and various credit union products. Located at 1717 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield.
• GuardianminorOthersGuardian is the underwriter for County-paid life insurance provided to Kern County employees. Life insurance coverage varies by employee category: Management employees receive $400,000, Confidential employees receive $100,000, and represented employees receive $20,000.
• Body Xchange Sports ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBody Xchange Sports Club offers discounted gym membership rates to Kern County employees at $22.99/month (valid through December 31, 2026). Part of employee wellness benefit program.
• Planet FitnessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlanet Fitness offers reduced prices for Kern County Employees as part of the county's employee wellness program.
• Mojave Fitness CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMojave Fitness Center offers reduced gym membership rates for Kern County Employees as part of employee wellness benefits.
• Vulcan FitnessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVulcan Fitness offers reduced gym membership rates for Kern County Employees as part of employee wellness benefits.
• Iron Valley FitnessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIron Valley Fitness offers reduced gym membership rates for Kern County Employees as part of employee wellness benefits.
• One Core FitnessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOne Core Fitness offers reduced gym membership rates for Kern County Employees as part of employee wellness benefits.
• OnPoint GymminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnPoint Gym offers reduced gym membership rates for Kern County Employees as part of employee wellness benefits.
• KCERA (Kern County Employees' Retirement Association)coreOthersKCERA is the Section 401(a) defined benefit retirement plan for county employees. Both employer and employee contributions are required, paying retired employees a pension based on salary, years of service, and age upon retirement. Website: kcera.org
• VoyaminorOthersVoya provides the Deferred Compensation Plan (Section 457 plan) administration for Kern County employees, allowing pre-tax contributions to supplemental retirement accounts.
• Social Security AdministrationcoreOthersBoth Kern County and employees contribute to Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). County matches employee contributions for FICA.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Workday: Major cloud HR/payroll platform with deep government and public-sector presence; comparable to the functionality Kern County delivers internally via its employee portal.
• Granicus: The platform vendor powering Kern County's employee portal, video streaming, and communications — broadly incumbent across U.S. county and municipal government digital infrastructure and directly relevant as the technology foundation Kern County depends on.
• ADP: Largest commercial payroll and workforce administration provider; comparable in providing payroll processing, benefits integration, and employee self-service at scale — though ADP is a vendor rather than an employer like Kern County.
• State of California: The parent state government under whose authority Kern County operates; sets employment law, pension rules (CalPERS-style), and benefit standards that materially shape Kern County's HR policies and portal offerings.

Direct peers

• Riverside County: Large California county government providing analogous county services and operating an employee benefits portal and pension plan (RCERA) for a similar workforce profile.
• Tulare County: Adjacent Central Valley California county with comparable employee benefits and government service delivery — directly comparable rural/agricultural county employer to Kern County.
• Los Angeles County: The largest California county government, operating an analogous employee portal, payroll, benefits, and retirement programs (LACERA) for tens of thousands of employees — directly comparable in scale and service mix to Kern County.
• Ventura County: California county government with similar employee self-service HR infrastructure and VCERA retirement plan — comparable mid-large California county employer profile.
• Fresno County: Adjacent Central Valley California county government with comparable employee benefits infrastructure, public-safety, and health-service responsibilities — closely matches Kern County on geography, demographics, and workforce profile.
• San Bernardino County: Large inland Southern California county government with similar employee self-service, payroll, and retirement (SBCERA) operations — comparable in size and service scope to Kern County.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CountyofKern
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/officialkerncounty
• Facebookfacebook.com/CountyofKern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kern-county
• Instagraminstagram.com/yourkerncounty/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kern County