Buttonwillow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California. Buttonwillow is 26 miles (42 km) west of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 269 feet (82 m). The population was 1,337 at the 2020 census, down from 1,508 at the 2010 census. The center of population of California is located in Buttonwillow.