Bear Valley (Alpine County), California Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 120, Bear Valley (Alpine County)'s ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Bear Valley (Alpine County) is a small community located in California, within Alpine County. The total population is 120. It ranks as the 1440th most populous out of 1,570 Census-designated places in California.

Age Demographics

The median age in Bear Valley (Alpine County) is 51.5 years. This is 36% higher than the state median of 37.9 years. With 39.2% of the population under 18, Bear Valley (Alpine County) has a notably young demographic profile, suggesting a family-oriented community.

Economy, Income & Housing

The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Bear Valley (Alpine County). In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The unemployment rate is 15.6%. This is 135% higher than the state rate of 6.6%. The median home value is $470,000. Housing costs are 36% lower than the state median of $734,700. 71.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 28% higher than the state average of 55.9%.

Race & Ethnicity

Every resident counted in Bear Valley (Alpine County) was recorded as White (non-Hispanic). A figure of exactly 100.0% reflects a survey sample too small to capture the community's full composition rather than a precise measurement.

Education

80.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Bear Valley (Alpine County) in the top 10% of all cities in the state for educational attainment. This is 118% higher than the state rate of 37.1%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. No surveyed resident aged 25 or older reported leaving school before earning a high school diploma, though a rate of exactly 100% reflects the limits of a small sample.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Bear Valley (Alpine County), California is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against California state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 1,570 Census-designated places in California. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.