What city is 36542 in?

36542 is a Gulf Shores, AL mailing address. By land area, 51% lies inside Gulf Shores and 3% lies inside Foley; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.

What is the population of 36542?

About 18,906 people (±797), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 16,993.

What is the median household income in 36542?

$79,639 (±$7,931), compared with $63,999 for Alabama as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.

How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 36542?

29 USPS carrier routes with 16,197 residential and 625 business mailboxes (16,822 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.

What ZIP codes are near 36542?

The closest, measured center to center: 36511 (2.5 mi, Bon Secour), 36547 (5.9 mi, Gulf Shores), 36535 (7.8 mi, Foley), 36555 (9.1 mi, Magnolia Springs), 36561 (10.8 mi, Orange Beach) and 36580 (14.7 mi, Summerdale).

36542 ZIP Code, Gulf Shores, AL

36542 is a ZIP code in Gulf Shores, Alabama in Baldwin County. It covers 52 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 36511, 36547 and 36535. 18,906 people live here in 8,347 households. With about 363 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and most homes are owner-occupied (73%). Median household income is $79,639, above the Alabama median of $63,999; the median age is 50.0, older than most ZIP codes.

Quick facts

Mailing city: Gulf Shores, AL
County: Baldwin County
Land area: 52 sq mi
Population: 18,906
Median household income: $79,639
Carrier routes: 29 (16,197 homes)

Key figures

Measure	Value
Residents	18,906
Households	8,347
Median household income	$79,639
Income per person	$44,566
Median age	50
Homeowners	72.6%
Median home value	$383,500
Median rent	$1,502
Bachelor's degree or higher	38.9%
Average commute (minutes)	22.4
Households with kids under 18	23.8%
Moved in the past year	13.1%
Below the poverty line	10.4%
Broadband internet	93.1%
Speak a non-English language at home	6.6%

Household income

% of households	Value
<$10K	1.8%
$10–15K	4.9%
$15–25K	3.6%
$25–35K	8.8%
$35–50K	12.8%
$50–75K	14.0%
$75–100K	19.0%
$100–150K	17.6%
$150–200K	8.6%
$200K+	8.9%

Age

% of all residents	Value
<10	7.2%
10–19	13.6%
20–24	3.1%
25–34	9.5%
35–44	11.1%
45–54	14.9%
55–64	14.9%
65–74	17.0%
75+	8.7%

Tenure

% of housing units	Value
Owned, with mortgage	17.9%
Owned outright	13.8%
Rented	11.9%
Vacant	56.4%

Type of building

% of housing units	Value
Detached house	45.6%
Townhome	2.8%
2–4 units	7.6%
5–19 units	13.9%
20+ units	28.1%
Mobile / other	1.9%

Businesses in 36542

688 business establishments with 7,128 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

Accommodation and Food Services: 112
Retail Trade: 101
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 100
Construction: 69
Other Services (except Public Administration): 63
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 48
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services: 41
Health Care and Social Assistance: 37

EDDM carrier routes

36542 has 29 USPS carrier routes with 16,197 residential and 625 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 36542

36542 has 29 USPS carrier routes (29 highway contract (H)) with 16,197 residential and 625 business mailboxes. Routes range from 85 homes (H029) to 1,554 homes (H018); the median route has 498 homes. The Census counted 8,347 households in 36542 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per route	Routes
1–249	2
250–499	13
500–749	9
750–999	1
1,000–1,499	3
1,500+	1

Best routes in 36542 for…

Most businesses

For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.

Route H026 — USPS business mailboxes 153, 550 homes
Route H012 — USPS business mailboxes 136, 276 homes
Route H006 — USPS business mailboxes 118, 1,034 homes
Route H022 — USPS business mailboxes 44, 489 homes
Route H014 — USPS business mailboxes 40, 539 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 36542

Route	Type	Homes	Businesses	Est. median income	Est. owners	Est. families with kids	Est. moved in past year
H001	Highway contract	606	4	$44,950	—	—	—
H002	Highway contract	474	2	$63,307	—	—	—
H003	Highway contract	606	4	$95,124	—	—	—
H004	Highway contract	626	0	$65,821	—	—	—
H005	Highway contract	800	14	$67,632	—	—	—
H006	Highway contract	1,034	118	$93,470	—	—	—
H007	Highway contract	433	9	$57,760	—	—	—
H008	Highway contract	435	2	$68,887	—	—	—
H009	Highway contract	1,101	9	$95,124	—	—	—
H010	Highway contract	1,039	13	$95,124	—	—	—
H011	Highway contract	594	7	$68,887	—	—	—
H012	Highway contract	276	136	$57,760	—	—	—
H013	Highway contract	327	0	$111,254	—	—	—
H014	Highway contract	539	40	$69,809	—	—	—
H015	Highway contract	501	8	$95,124	—	—	—
H016	Highway contract	370	0	$45,380	—	—	—
H017	Highway contract	415	10	$63,307	—	—	—
H018	Highway contract	1,554	9	$67,632	—	—	—
H019	Highway contract	507	6	$44,950	—	—	—
H020	Highway contract	260	3	$111,254	—	—	—
H021	Highway contract	412	0	$44,950	—	—	—
H022	Highway contract	489	44	$67,632	—	—	—
H023	Highway contract	490	18	$63,502	—	—	—
H024	Highway contract	463	4	$44,950	—	—	—
H025	Highway contract	498	2	$45,380	—	—	—
H026	Highway contract	550	153	$44,950	—	—	—
H027	Highway contract	584	4	$95,124	—	—	—
H028	Highway contract	129	5	$67,632	—	—	—
H029	Highway contract	85	1	$44,950	—	—	—

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 36542 on the EDDM route map.

How route demographics are estimated

Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates

The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).

How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method

We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.

Margins of error

Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.

Different years

USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.

Why some routes show identical figures

Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.

Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Nearby ZIP codes

36511 — Bon Secour CDP, AL (2.5 mi)
36547 — Gulf Shores city, AL (5.9 mi)
36535 — Foley city, AL (7.8 mi)
36555 — Magnolia Springs town, AL (9.1 mi)
36561 — Orange Beach city, AL (10.8 mi)
36580 — Summerdale town, AL (14.7 mi)
36530 — Elberta town, AL (15.1 mi)
36532 — Fairhope city, AL (16 mi)

Areas that include 36542

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 36542

Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.

EDDM guides

ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 36542, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 36542 in?: 36542 is a Gulf Shores, AL mailing address. By land area, 51% lies inside Gulf Shores and 3% lies inside Foley; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 36542 in?: 36542 is in Baldwin County.
What is the population of 36542?: About 18,906 people (±797), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 16,993.
What is the median household income in 36542?: $79,639 (±$7,931), compared with $63,999 for Alabama as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 36542?: 29 USPS carrier routes with 16,197 residential and 625 business mailboxes (16,822 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 36542?: The closest, measured center to center: 36511 (2.5 mi, Bon Secour), 36547 (5.9 mi, Gulf Shores), 36535 (7.8 mi, Foley), 36555 (9.1 mi, Magnolia Springs), 36561 (10.8 mi, Orange Beach) and 36580 (14.7 mi, Summerdale).

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.