Bear Creek, AL · standard
ZIP Code 35543
Marion County, Alabama - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 1,137
- 12/sq mi
- $29,196
- Median income
- $97,200
- Median home value
- 9.8%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Bear Creek pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 2nd pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 9th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 12
- people per sq mi
- 79%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 35543 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 35543 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Bear Creek, Marion County, Alabama, home to just 1,137 residents across 97.2 square miles, a density of 12 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 35543 sits on the lower end of the income spectrum: median household income is $29,196 (52% below the average Alabama ZIP), while per-capita income is $19,407. Economic pressure is pronounced: 26.4% of residents are below the poverty line and unemployment is 12.7%. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $97,200 (45% below the average Alabama ZIP), and median rent is $760; owner occupancy is 78.5%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 9.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 40.3, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 3 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Marion County, so 35543 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 35543, Bear Creek, AL · 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
1,137
Population
97.2
Area (sq mi)
12
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 35543?
40.3
Median Age
56.6%
Male
43.4%
Female
0.0%
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?
$29,196
Median Household Income
-52% vs state ZIP avg
$19,407
Per Capita Income
26.4%
Poverty Rate
12.7%
Unemployment Rate
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
553housing units
553
Total Housing Units
390
Occupied Units
163
Vacant Units
2.80
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$97,200
Median Home Value
-45% vs state ZIP avg
$760
Median Rent
1980
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 14 business establishments in ZIP 35543, employing approximately 112 people with a combined annual payroll of $8,500,000.
14
Businesses
112
Employees
$8.5M
Annual Payroll
2
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 35.7% |
| Retail trade | 3 | 21.4% |
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 35543 vs 35564 →
ZIP 35543 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 35581
Phil Campbell (35581)
5,778 residents
- 35564
Hackleburg (35564)
2,361 residents
- 35543 1,137
Bear Creek (35543)
1,137 residents
- 35577 38
Natural Bridge (35577)
38 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 35543 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 35543 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 35564
Hackleburg (35564)
$44,096 median income
- 35581
Phil Campbell (35581)
$43,555 median income
- 35543
Bear Creek (35543)
$29,196 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 35543 ranks #3 of 3 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 35543, both outside AL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (1,137 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.