Big Bear Lake, CA: Population, ZIP Codes & Nearby Cities

Big Bear Lake, CA is an incorporated town-sized municipality located in San Bernardino County in the state of California. Our data estimates 5,279 residents, places it at 34.243°N, 116.895°W, and lists it in Pacific time. This page explains its population rank, ZIP codes, nearby cities and distance to big metros.

What are the key facts about Big Bear Lake, CA?

What is the population of Big Bear Lake, CA?

Big Bear Lake has an estimated population of 5,279. That makes it the 640th largest of the 1,470 places we list in California, and the 38th largest of 51 places in San Bernardino County. The typical place in California has about 3,379 residents, so Big Bear Lake is roughly 1.6 times the size of a typical neighbor in the state.

Estimates for places of this size carry wider margins of error than those for big cities, so treat the figure as a guide to scale. Our guide to understanding city population numbers explains why sources disagree.

Places in California with a similar population include Kensington (5,329), Bear Valley Springs (5,292), Garnet (5,285), Calistoga (5,247), Lake Wildwood (5,232). Comparing these pages is a quick way to see how Big Bear Lake differs from communities of the same scale.

How dense is Big Bear Lake?

Big Bear Lake has about 844 people per square mile (326 per square kilometer), which we classify as small-town or exurban. Within California, it is denser than about 46% of the listed places. Homes at this level are spread out with larger lots, and most daily trips involve a car, though a small central area may still be walkable. Read how to interpret population density to see how we draw these lines.

What ZIP codes does Big Bear Lake use?

Big Bear Lake uses one ZIP code: 92315. A single code usually means a compact delivery area, but the same code may also serve addresses just outside the town line. Codes beginning with 9 are assigned to the Pacific states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington). Learn more in our guide to how ZIP codes work or check any code with the ZIP code lookup.

What time zone is Big Bear Lake in?

Big Bear Lake is in the Pacific time zone, which is UTC−8 from Coordinated Universal Time in standard time (IANA zone America/Los_Angeles). The area observes daylight saving time, so clocks move forward in March and back in November. The nearest listed place in a different time zone is Fort Mohave, AZ, about 142 miles away, which gives a sense of how far the nearest zone boundary may be. Current local time: see the Pacific time hub. For the rules behind these zones, read US time zones explained.

Where is Big Bear Lake located in California?

Big Bear Lake lies in the southeastern part of California, at 34.243° north latitude and 116.895° west longitude. The state capital, Sacramento, is about 392 miles to the northwest. The closest listed place in another state is Laughlin, NV, roughly 140 miles to the northeast, which shows how near Big Bear Lake is to a state line. For big-city services, the nearest place with more than 100,000 people is San Bernardino, CA, 24 miles to the west.

Which cities are near Big Bear Lake, CA?

The closest listed place to Big Bear Lake is Big Bear City, CA, 6.0 miles to the east. Of the eight nearest places below, 6 are in the same county. Distances are straight-line (great-circle) miles measured between place centers; see how distance is calculated.

Which county is Big Bear Lake in?

Big Bear Lake is in San Bernardino County, which has the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code 06071. The county contains 51 places in our data, 38 of which have their own page here and 13 smaller communities that appear only in county and state lists. Other places in the county include Victorville (346,789), San Bernardino (215,784), Fontana (214,547), Ontario (185,010), Rancho Cucamonga (177,603). Codes like this one help separate places that share a name; see the guide to counties and FIPS codes.

How far is Big Bear Lake from major US cities?

Among six major hubs, Big Bear Lake is closest to Los Angeles, CA at about 87 miles and farthest from New York, NY at about 2,374 miles in a straight line. Road distances are usually 10 to 30 percent longer. Try the distance calculator for any other pair.

Are there other places called Big Bear Lake?

No. In our data, Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County, California is the only place with this name, so the name alone is enough to identify it, though adding the state is still good practice in addresses and forms.

Where to go next

Population and density come from a compiled dataset and are estimates. They may differ from official Census Bureau counts. Verify important figures at census.gov.