PlainZIP

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
$160,962
Median income
$412,700
Median home value
51.9%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

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 Pennsylvania average), while per-capita income is $56,296. The poverty rate stands at 2.5% and the unemployment rate at 0.8%. On housing, the median home value is $412,700 (82% above the state average) with median rent at - per month, and 99.1% of occupied units 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 -. A geography-based comparison follows: 10 ZIP codes within about 10 miles of 18602, plus 6 more within Luzerne County, give a clearer read than the national average alone.

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

Neighborhood Scorecard
Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.
View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 18602?

34.8

Median Age

47.0%

Male

53.0%

Female

2.5%

Foreign-Born

White 85.2%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.0%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 1.1%
Hispanic or Latino 13.1%

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

$56,296

Per Capita Income

2.5%

Poverty Rate

0.8%

Unemployment Rate

How ZIP 18602 ranks nationally

Bear Creek, PA household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income, the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$160,962 Top 3% higher than 97% of 30,318 US ZIPs

$0–$20,000: 118 US ZIPs (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 1,573 US ZIPs (5%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 7,092 US ZIPs (23%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 9,980 US ZIPs (33%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 5,778 US ZIPs (19%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 2,855 US ZIPs (9%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 1,362 US ZIPs (4%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 686 US ZIPs (2%). Below this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 364 US ZIPs (1%). This entry sits in this band. $180,000–$200,000: 186 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 324 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. This ZIP $0 $200K+ every reporting US ZIP, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US 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?

High School Graduate or Higher 84.7%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 51.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

250

Total Housing Units

214

Occupied Units

36

Vacant Units

2.93

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 99.1%
Renter 0.9%

$412,700

Median Home Value

+82% vs state

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.

residents

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 18602 ranks #0 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023

ZIP 18602 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income

Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023
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

More ZIP Codes in Luzerne County

18702 standard
Wilkes Barre, PA
Pop: 40,295
18704 standard
Kingston, PA
Pop: 31,206
18201 standard
Hazleton, PA
Pop: 27,516
18612 standard
Dallas, PA
Pop: 18,051
18640 standard
Pittston, PA
Pop: 17,155
18706 standard
Wilkes Barre, PA
Pop: 16,105

Related Areas

Luzerne County Bear Creek, PA Pennsylvania

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.

Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.