Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Alaska has a population of 1,732.
The best of Bear Creek’s subject grades is an A− for health; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Bear Creek’s July high is 62°F, against 66°F in Alaska’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 2 of Alaska’s 65 towns do worse. 55% of the land in Bear Creek is conserved, above both the Alaska town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Bear Creek has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bear Creek beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Bear Creek is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,748 in 2000, 2,129 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bear Creek. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National ParkKenai Fjords National Park425K visitors a year
19 mi National forestChugach National Forest
8 mi Zoo & aquariumAlaska SeaLife CenterKenai Fjords National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Chugach National Forest: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Alaska SeaLife Center: Me, Public domain
Bear Creek is unincorporated, so Kenai Peninsula Borough and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Bear Creek.
22 miles of trail. Bear Creek’s density of trails stands at 0.6 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected losses in Bear Creek break down as 46% from avalanches and 29% from tsunamis. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in the town than in 96% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Alaska. Adults 35 to 64 are 56% of residents (37% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (25% statewide).
| Bear Creek | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.7 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 28% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.4 points. Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 100% are men (AK 57%).
| Bear Creek | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.7% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.6% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.8% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.4% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.5% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 30.3% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 0% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.2% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.7% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.7% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.4% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,700, single groups can be off by several points
Among adults in Bear Creek, 31% sleep under 7 hours. The town beats the Alaska average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Only 4 of the 42 Alaska towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Bear Creek.
| Bear Creek | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 65% | 68% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 25% |
| What stands out | Bear Creek | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6.7% | 9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.2% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For households in Bear Creek, the share who live in a home they own is 57%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Bear Creek; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Bear Creek residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Alaska.
Census-designated place in Alaska, United States
Bear Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 2,129 up from 1,956 in 2010. Bear Creek is a few miles north of Seward near the stream of the same name and its source, Bear Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Bear Creek.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek | — | — | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Primrose | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seward | #16 | B− | C− | C+ | B+ | A |
Bear Creek has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Bear Creek reports no FBI crime data of its own. Primrose isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bear Creek with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $475,000, 19% above the Alaska typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
