• county
  • FIPS 16007
  • Largest town: Montpelier

Bear Lake County, Idaho

Bear Lake County had 6,779 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 975.7 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 44 in Idaho by population and 32nd by land area.

Population
6,779
#36 of 44 in Idaho · #2,671 in US
Area
975.7 sq mi
#32 of 44 in Idaho · #711 in US
Density
6.9 / sq mi
#28 of 44 in Idaho · #2,692 in US
Median household income
$67,519
#21 of 44 in Idaho · #1,165 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Bear Lake County within Idaho. Pin: Boise.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Bear Lake County

Bear Lake County population, land area and income

Bear Lake County had 6,779 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 975.7 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 44 in Idaho by population and 32nd by land area. That works out to 6.9 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Idaho has 15,019 residents, so Bear Lake County has 45% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $67,519 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

6,779

3144th1st

2671st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

976 sq mi

3144th1st

711th of 3,144 (US)

Density

6.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

2692nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$67,519

3143rd1st

1165th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Idaho (44)

Population

6,779

44th1st

36th of 44 (ID)

Land area

976 sq mi

44th1st

32nd of 44 (ID)

Density

6.9 / sq mi

44th1st

28th of 44 (ID)

Median household income

$67,519

44th1st

21st of 44 (ID)

How Bear Lake County's population changed since 2020

Bear Lake County gained 412 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 6.5%. That ranks 26th of 44 in Idaho for growth. The median Idaho county changed by +7.2%, and the state as a whole by +8.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Bear Lake County recorded 345 births and 287 deaths, a natural change of +58. Net international migration added +43 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +309. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 309 people.

6,36720206,56920216,75120226,78320236,7792024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
345
Deaths
287
Net international migration
+43
Net domestic migration
+309
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-4

Where Bear Lake County is

The Census internal point of Bear Lake County is at 42.285900, -111.327500. It sits in UTM zone 12N. The map shades Idaho's 44 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Bear Lake County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Madison County: +5.0%Idaho County: +8.0%Benewah County: +9.9%Gooding County: +3.4%Lincoln County: +8.2%Minidoka County: +4.7%Custer County: +7.7%Boundary County: +15.6%Lemhi County: +5.5%Twin Falls County: +6.8%Franklin County: +9.5%Oneida County: +9.0%Gem County: +13.4%Shoshone County: +6.6%Fremont County: +7.3%Clearwater County: +4.6%Kootenai County: +9.0%Cassia County: +4.9%Blaine County: +3.8%Clark County: +0.1%Jerome County: +7.4%Bonner County: +13.8%Elmore County: +3.7%Caribou County: +3.2%Bonneville County: +7.1%Jefferson County: +12.1%Power County: +6.3%Lewis County: +5.8%Nez Perce County: +1.7%Ada County: +7.5%Adams County: +12.9%Valley County: +7.9%Bingham County: +5.8%Bannock County: +4.3%Owyhee County: +6.2%Washington County: +9.3%Latah County: +6.4%Teton County: +10.2%Camas County: +15.0%Boise County: +12.0%Bear Lake County: +6.5%Butte County: +5.9%Canyon County: +14.5%Payette County: +8.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +4.7%
  2. < +6.4%
  3. < +7.7%
  4. < +9.9%
  5. ≥ +9.9%
no data

Orange pin: Bear Lake County internal point. Dark pin: Boise.

Internal point

Decimal
42.285900, -111.327500
DMS
42°17'9.24"N 111°19'39.00"W
UTM
12N 472999.0E 4681572.1N
Geohash
9x8bd9vv1
Plus code
85JC7MPF+92

Towns in Bear Lake County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Bear Lake County, 2,696 people together, or 40% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Bear Lake County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Montpelier with 2,696.

  1. 01Montpelier2,696
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Bear Lake County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Bear Lake County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Cache County, UT, with 145,487 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Boise and the nearest big city

Boise is 263.7 miles WNW of Bear Lake County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Salt Lake City, UT (population 217,783), 108.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Smithfield, UT (population 15,018), 40.3 miles away.

Bear Lake County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Bear Lake County is 16007: state code 16 for Idaho plus county code 007. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $67,519.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Bear Lake County, Idaho?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 6,779. That is up 412 people (6.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 6,367.

What is the FIPS code of Bear Lake County?

16007. The first two digits (16) are Idaho; the last three (007) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Bear Lake County?

Montpelier, with 2,696 residents inside Bear Lake County in 2024.

Which counties border Bear Lake County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Cache County, UT; Lincoln County, WY; Franklin County, ID; Caribou County, ID; Rich County, UT.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.