Surveys taken from 35 states in the early 1990s indicated that American black bear populations were either stable or increasing, except in Idaho and New Mexico. The population in the United States was estimated to range between 339,000 and 465,000 in 2011, though this estimate does not include data from Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota, Texas or Wyoming, whose populations were not recorded in the survey. In California there were an estimated 25,000-35,000 black bears in 2017, making it the largest population of the species in any of the 48 contiguous United States. In 2020 there were about 1,500 bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where the population density is about two per square mile. In western North Carolina, the black bear population has dramatically increased in recent decades, from about 3,000 in the early 2000s to over 8,000 in the 2020s.
Surveys taken from 35 states in the early 1990s indicated that American black bear populations were either stable or increasing, except in Idaho and New Mexico. The population in the United States was estimated to range between 339,000 and 465,000 in 2011, though this estimate does not include data from Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota, Texas or Wyoming, whose populations were not recorded in the survey. In California there were an estimated 25,000-35,000 black bears in 2017, making it the largest population of the species in any of the 48 contiguous United States. In 2020 there were about 1,500 bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where the population density is about two per square mile. In western North Carolina, the black bear population has dramatically increased in recent decades, from about 3,000 in the early 2000s to over 8,000 in the 2020s.