Census Data for Bear Creek

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Bear Creek a population of 1,065 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Bear Creek a population of 1,070 people.

The town of Bear Creek is located in Marion County. The 2010 Census gave Marion County; a population of 30,776 people. This means that Bear Creek had 3.48% of the county's total population, making it Marion's 5th most populous community.

At the same time, Alabama had a population of 4,779,736 people, meaning that Bear Creek had 0.02% of the total population of Alabama - making it the state's 247th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Bear Creek has a total area of 13.76 square miles [35.6 km²]. Of this total, 13.63 square miles [35.3 km²] is land, with the balance (0.97%) being water (0.13 square miles [0.3 km²]).

Marion County has a land area of 742 square miles [1,922.5 km²]. At 13.63 square miles [35.3 km²], Bear Creek has 1.84% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a town like Bear Creek, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the town.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Bear Creek reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Bear Creek might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   34° 15' 20"   (or 34.26°)
  • Lon:   -87° 42' 45"   (or -87.71°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Bear Creek had 502 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 1,070 people, this averages 2.13 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Bear Creek had a land area of 13.63 square miles [35.3 km²]. This translates to 36.48 Housing Units per square mile [14.08 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Bear Creek had 475 Housing Units, a population of 1,053 people and a land area of 13.5 square miles [35 km²]. This gives a density of 2.22 people per Housing Unit and 34.58 Housing Units per square mile [13.35 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Bear Creek and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Marion County ...

The community of Bear Creek is located in Marion County<4>.

The county had a population of 30,776 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 1,070 people, Bear Creek represented 3.48% of the county's total.

In addition, where the town of Bear Creek has a population density of 77.8 people per square mile [30.02 people/km²], Marion County averages 41.46 people per square mile [16.01 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Marion County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Bear Creek, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Bear Creek. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Bear Creek or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Bear Creek, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Bear Creek.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   34.255586°   (or 34°15'20" N)
  • Lon:   -87.712516°   (or -87°42'45" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   34.272400°   (or 34°16'20" N)
  • Lon:   -87.703374°   (or -87°42'12" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 6,720 feet to the southwest<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2405219) to Bear Creek. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Bear Creek. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   34.265204°   (or 34°15'54" N)
  • Lon:   -87.716612°   (or -87°42'59" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 3,717 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Bear Creek. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Bear Creek.

Miscellaneous Information for Bear Creek ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Marion County or the town of Bear Creek:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Bear Creek:
  • GNIS ID for Bear Creek: 2405219
  • GNIS ID for Marion County: 161573
  • GNIS ID for State of Alabama: 1779775

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 01 (Alabama)
  • County Code: 093 (Marion County)
  • Place Code: 04852 (Bear Creek)
  • State & County Code: 01/093 (Alabama / Marion County)
  • State & Place Code: 01/04852 (Alabama / Bear Creek)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Bear Creek is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #6 (the East South-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a town like Bear Creek, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Bear Creek. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Bear Creek:35543<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Bear Creek.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bear Creek. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Marion County: www.sonet.net/marioncounty/

The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)