Census Data for Gulf Shores

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Gulf Shores a population of 12,766 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Gulf Shores a population of 9,741 people.

The city of Gulf Shores is located in Baldwin County. The 2010 Census gave Baldwin County; a population of 182,265 people. This means that Gulf Shores had 5.34% of the county's total population, making it Baldwin's 4th most populous community.

At the same time, Alabama had a population of 4,779,736 people, meaning that Gulf Shores had 0.2% of the total population of Alabama - making it the state's 64th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Gulf Shores has a total area of 27.98 square miles [72.5 km²]. Of this total, 23.16 square miles [60 km²] is land, with the balance (17.24%) being water (4.83 square miles [12.5 km²]).

Baldwin County has a land area of 1,589 square miles [4,117.5 km²]. At 23.16 square miles [60 km²], Gulf Shores has 1.46% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Gulf Shores, 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 city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Gulf Shores reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Gulf Shores 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:   30° 16' 24"   (or 30.27°)
  • Lon:   -87° 42' 6"   (or -87.7°)
  • 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).

Baldwin County ...

The community of Gulf Shores is located in Baldwin County<3>.

The county had a population of 182,265 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 9,741 people, Gulf Shores represented 5.34% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Gulf Shores has a population density of 348.1 people per square mile [134.4 people/km²], Baldwin County averages 114.6 people per square mile [44.27 people/km²].

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

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Gulf Shores, 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 Gulf Shores. 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 Gulf Shores 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 Gulf Shores, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Gulf Shores.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   30.273431°   (or 30°16'24" N)
  • Lon:   -87.701855°   (or -87°42'6" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   30.267797°   (or 30°16'4" N)
  • Lon:   -87.701468°   (or -87°42'5" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2,057 feet to the north<4> 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 (#2403770) to Gulf Shores. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Gulf Shores. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   30.270268°   (or 30°16'12" N)
  • Lon:   -87.698582°   (or -87°41'54" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 1,546 feet to the northwest<5> of the point given by the GNIS for Gulf Shores. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Gulf Shores.

Miscellaneous Information for Gulf Shores ...

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 Baldwin County or the city of Gulf Shores:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Gulf Shores:
  • GNIS ID for Gulf Shores: 2403770
  • GNIS ID for Baldwin County: 161527
  • 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: 003 (Baldwin County)
  • Place Code: 32272 (Gulf Shores)
  • State & County Code: 01/003 (Alabama / Baldwin County)
  • State & Place Code: 01/32272 (Alabama / Gulf Shores)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Gulf Shores 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 ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Gulf Shores, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. It's important to remember that the boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • Our list of ZIP codes for Gulf Shores:<6>
  •  & .

• 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 Gulf Shores.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Gulf Shores: www.ci.gulf-shores.al.us/

The official website for Baldwin County: www.co.baldwin.al.us/

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)