Bear Creek, PA · standard
ZIP Code 18602
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 257
- 51/sq mi Moderate-density area
- $160,962
- Median income Above-median income area
- $412,700
- Median home value Above-median home value
- 51.9%
- Bachelor's or higher Above-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Bear Creek pairs a top-decile household income with upper-quartile home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 3%
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 19%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 51
- people per sq mi
- 99%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 18602 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 18602 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Bear Creek, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, home to just 257 residents across 5.0 square miles, a density of 51 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.
ZIP 18602 skews affluent, with a median household income of $160,962 (107% above the average Pennsylvania ZIP), while per-capita income is $56,296. Both reported hardship measures are comparatively low in absolute terms: poverty is 2.5% and unemployment is 0.8%. Housing is both higher-cost and owner-heavy: median home value is $412,700 (82% above the average Pennsylvania ZIP), while 99.1% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
This is a highly-educated ZIP: 51.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 34.8, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 10 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Luzerne County, so 18602 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 18602, Bear Creek, PA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
257
Population
5.0
Area (sq mi)
51
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 18602?
34.8
Median Age
47.0%
Male
53.0%
Female
2.5%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$160,962
Median Household Income
+107% vs state ZIP avg
$56,296
Per Capita Income
2.5%
Poverty Rate
0.8%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 18602 ranks among Pennsylvania ZIPs
Bear Creek, PA household income vs. every Pennsylvania ZIP code
Median household income among 1,642 reporting Pennsylvania ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$160,962 Top 2% higher than 98% of 1,642 Pennsylvania ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Pennsylvania ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
250housing units
250
Total Housing Units
214
Occupied Units
36
Vacant Units
2.93
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$412,700
Median Home Value
+82% vs state ZIP avg
1966
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 9 business establishments in ZIP 18602, employing approximately 53 people with a combined annual payroll of $998,000.
9
Businesses
53
Employees
$998K
Annual Payroll
0
Industry Sectors
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 18602 vs 18702 →
ZIP 18602 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 18702
Wilkes Barre (18702)
40,295 residents
- 18704
Kingston (18704)
31,206 residents
- 18640
Pittston (18640)
17,155 residents
- 18705 14,806
Wilkes Barre (18705)
14,806 residents
- 18644 7,546
Wyoming (18644)
7,546 residents
- 18641 6,812
Pittston (18641)
6,812 residents
- 18661 5,730
White Haven (18661)
5,730 residents
- 18701 3,447
Wilkes Barre (18701)
3,447 residents
- 18709 2,903
Luzerne (18709)
2,903 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 18602 ranks #0 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 18602 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 18602
Bear Creek (18602)
$160,962 median income
- 18641
Pittston (18641)
$75,708 median income
- 18661
White Haven (18661)
$75,057 median income
- 18644
Wyoming (18644)
$70,026 median income
- 18704
Kingston (18704)
$64,444 median income
- 18640 $60,862
Pittston (18640)
$60,862 median income
- 18705 $59,344
Wilkes Barre (18705)
$59,344 median income
- 18702 $56,378
Wilkes Barre (18702)
$56,378 median income
- 18709 $42,135
Luzerne (18709)
$42,135 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 18602 ranks the highest of 9 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18702 | Wilkes Barre, PA | 40,295 | 2.5 mi |
| 18661 | White Haven, PA | 5,730 | 7.0 mi |
| 18640 | Pittston, PA | 17,155 | 7.6 mi |
| 18705 | Wilkes Barre, PA | 14,806 | 7.4 mi |
| 18641 | Pittston, PA | 6,812 | 10.3 mi |
| 18701 | Wilkes Barre, PA | 3,447 | 7.8 mi |
| 18704 | Kingston, PA | 31,206 | 9.5 mi |
| 18709 | Luzerne, PA | 2,903 | 10.0 mi |
| 18624 | Lake Harmony, PA | 718 | 11.4 mi |
| 18644 | Wyoming, PA | 7,546 | 11.8 mi |
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 18602, both outside PA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Luzerne County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 18602 in?
ZIP code 18602 (Bear Creek) is located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Luzerne County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/luzerne-pa.
What is the population of ZIP code 18602?
ZIP code 18602 in Bear Creek, PA has a population of 257 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 18602?
The median household income in ZIP 18602 is $160,962, which is 111% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 18602?
The median home value in ZIP 18602 is $412,700, which is 48% above the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 18602?
The largest racial group in ZIP 18602 is White at 85.2%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 13.1% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 18602?
ZIP code 18602 has 9 business establishments employing approximately 53 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 18602?
In ZIP code 18602, 84.7% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 51.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 18602?
In ZIP code 18602, approximately 99.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 0.9% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 18602?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 18602 is 2.5% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 18602's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 18602 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Bear Creek, PA ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.