Population 1,538 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Big Bear
Household size in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.61 | 3.35 | 3.04 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.39 | 3.43 | 3.10 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.31 | 3.42 | 3.09 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.06 | 3.34 | 3.01 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.55 | −0.01 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Big Bear is a place of small households, averaging 2.06 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.61, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 38.7 | 33.6 | 35.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 44.0 | 34.6 | 36.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 44.7 | 35.9 | 37.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 54.4 | 37.0 | 39.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | +15.7 | +3.4 | +3.1 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 54.4, Big Bear is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.4% | 15.2% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.1% | 15.7% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 14.7% | 14.4% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 15.6% | 14.8% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +7.2 pts | −0.3 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in Big Bear: 15.6% of all households, against 11.6% nationally. The picture is much the same across the Riverside area.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Big Bear
Renters in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.9% | 32.3% | 42.6% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 41.2% | 36.6% | 45.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.0% | 36.7% | 45.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 30.2% | 34.2% | 44.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −13.7 pts | +1.9 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
About three in ten households in Big Bear rent their homes (30.2%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Just over a third of owners (35.6%) have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 68.9% | 11.8% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 65.2% | 10.9% | 8.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 64.4% | 9.4% | 7.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 61.8% | 7.8% | 7.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −7.1 pts | −4.0 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 61.8% of the housing in Big Bear, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1978 | 1983 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1976 | 1984 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1977 | 1984 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1980 | 1986 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +2 | +3 | +4 | +6 |
The typical home in Big Bear was built around 1980, the same vintage as the country's housing overall. Homes here are older than in the wider Riverside area, where the median home dates to 1986.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $910 | $1,287 | $1,298 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $931 | $1,332 | $1,379 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,095 | $1,549 | $1,721 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,947 | $2,083 | $2,229 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$1,037 | +$796 | +$931 | +$606 |
Rent in Big Bear runs $1,947 a month at the median, utilities included, well above the U.S. median of $1,571. Still, rents here are lower than in the Riverside area as a whole ($2,083). The typical renter here spends 37.8% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Big Bear
Bachelor's degrees in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.4% | 19.2% | 29.1% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 22.9% | 19.4% | 30.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.1% | 21.2% | 32.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 33.6% | 24.0% | 36.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +10.2 pts | +4.8 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in Big Bear as nationally: 33.6% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The share is higher than in the Riverside area overall (24.0%).
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 87.7% | 77.9% | 79.9% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 95.1% | 78.6% | 80.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.0% | 80.6% | 82.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 94.8% | 82.5% | 84.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +7.1 pts | +4.6 pts | +4.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in Big Bear: 94.8% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Big Bear
| Period | Big Bear | Riverside area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.7% | 11.4% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 15.3% | 14.4% | 11.3% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.2% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.6% | 6.8% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | +1.9 pts | −4.6 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Big Bear runs well above the national rate: 10.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Big Bear compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bear | 2.06 | 54.4 | 15.6% | 30.2% | 61.8% | 1980 | $1,947 | 33.6% | 94.8% | 10.6% |
| Sugarloaf | 2.00 | 55.8 | 16.5% | 33.8% | 66.5% | 1979 | $1,900 | 36.0% | 95.7% | 9.4% |
| Big Bear City | 2.24 | 47.5 | 11.2% | 28.9% | 51.1% | 1979 | $2,055 | 28.8% | 92.5% | 9.8% |
| Big Bear Lake | 2.24 | 46.2 | 9.2% | 34.3% | 70.1% | 1976 | $1,628 | 30.1% | 91.8% | 5.0% |
| Fawnskin | 1.79 | 54.8 | 13.9% | 43.3% | 78.6% | 1963 | $1,974 | 42.1% | 98.8% | 1.2% |
| Seven Oaks | 2.81 | 38.9 | 20.2% | 13.8% | 55.9% | 1972 | $1,214 | 44.4% | 92.8% | 0.3% |
| Angelus Oaks | 2.77 | 38.6 | 19.2% | 15.4% | 53.6% | 1971 | $1,279 | 42.9% | 92.4% | 0.5% |
| Glen Martin | 2.80 | 38.8 | 20.0% | 14.2% | 55.4% | 1972 | $1,227 | 44.1% | 92.7% | 0.3% |
| Rimrock | 1.80 | 62.3 | 5.0% | 28.0% | 41.8% | 1965 | $1,900 | 23.3% | 87.1% | 12.7% |
| Green Valley Lake | 2.58 | 43.9 | 17.6% | 24.2% | 83.9% | 1962 | $2,001 | 20.4% | 93.6% | 16.6% |
| Running Springs | 2.59 | 39.8 | 15.7% | 26.0% | 44.9% | 1973 | $1,693 | 32.5% | 95.1% | 6.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Big Pine, CA · Waverly, IL · Pennsboro, WV · Dolan Springs, AZ · Superior, MT · Gilbert, IA · Abbeville, MS · Glenford, OH · Rock Port, MO · Richfield, PA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Big Bear. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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