Bear Lake County Demographics

A map of Bear Lake County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	6,201	5,977	93.2%	93.8%
Hispanic	254	208	3.8%	3.3%
Multiracial	119	137	1.8%	2.2%
Black	33	10	0.5%	0.2%
Native American/Other	29	27	0.4%	0.4%
Asian	14	13	0.2%	0.2%

Bear Lake County, Idaho has an estimated population of 6,650, an increase from the 6,372 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.2% White, 3.8% Hispanic, 1.8% Multiracial, 0.5% Black, 0.4% Native American/Other, and 0.2% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Bear Lake County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Bear Lake has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Idaho overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Bear Lake County, that probability was 11.9% in 2020 and 12.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Bear Lake County is ranked the 36th most populous county in Idaho, out of 44 counties. Bear Lake County was ranked the 36th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Bear Lake County's White Population

6,201 residents of Bear Lake County, or 93.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Bear Lake County is considerably higher than in Idaho overall, where 78.6% of the population is White. Bear Lake County ranks 1st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bear Lake County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.7%. White residents' share of Bear Lake County's population has decreased from 93.8% to 93.2%.

Bear Lake County is more White than neighboring Franklin County (89.4% White), Caribou County (90.5% White), Rich County (91.8% White), Lincoln County (90.8% White), and Cache County (81.3% White).

Bear Lake County's Black Population

33 residents of Bear Lake County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Bear Lake County is comparable to the share in Idaho overall, where 0.7% of the population is Black. Bear Lake County ranks 29th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bear Lake County's Black population has grown by an estimated 230.0%. Black residents' share of Bear Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Bear Lake County is more Black than neighboring Franklin County (0.1% Black), Caribou County (0.2% Black), Rich County (0% Black), and Lincoln County (0% Black). Bear Lake County is less Black than neighboring Cache County (0.8% Black).

Bear Lake County's Asian Population

14 residents of Bear Lake County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Bear Lake County is comparable to the share in Idaho overall, where 1.3% of the population is Asian. Bear Lake County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bear Lake County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 7.7%. Asian residents' share of Bear Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Bear Lake County is more Asian than neighboring Franklin County (0.1% Asian), Caribou County (0% Asian), and Rich County (0% Asian). Bear Lake County is less Asian than neighboring Lincoln County (0.3% Asian), and Cache County (1.7% Asian).

Bear Lake County's Hispanic Population

254 residents of Bear Lake County, or 3.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Bear Lake County is lower than in Idaho overall, where 13.6% of the population is Hispanic. Bear Lake County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bear Lake County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 22.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Bear Lake County's population has increased from 3.3% to 3.8%.

Bear Lake County is less Hispanic than neighboring Franklin County (7.4% Hispanic), Caribou County (5.7% Hispanic), Rich County (5.4% Hispanic), Lincoln County (5.5% Hispanic), and Cache County (11.7% Hispanic).

Bear Lake County's Native American/Other Population

29 residents of Bear Lake County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Bear Lake County is comparable to the share in Idaho overall, where 1.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Bear Lake County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bear Lake County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 7.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Bear Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Bear Lake County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Caribou County (0.1% Native American/Other). Bear Lake County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Franklin County (0.7% Native American/Other), Rich County (1% Native American/Other), Lincoln County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Cache County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Bear Lake County's Multiracial Population

119 residents of Bear Lake County, or 1.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Bear Lake County is slightly lower than in Idaho overall, where 4.2% of the population is Multiracial. Bear Lake County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 44 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bear Lake County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 13.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Bear Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.8%.

Bear Lake County is less Multiracial than neighboring Franklin County (2.4% Multiracial), Caribou County (3.5% Multiracial), Lincoln County (2.7% Multiracial), and Cache County (3.8% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.