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Bellingham, WA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
93,438
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
34.1
years ∙ half population younger than 34.1, half older
Diversity Index
40.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
8.5%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Bellingham is a city within Whatcom County, Washington, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC48.753442° N, 122.470179° W
DMS48° 45′ 12.39″ N, 122° 28′ 12.64″ W
Population Density & area
3,313/sq mi
(1,280/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
48.2%
male
Male
48.2%
Female
51.8%
males per 100 females
Bellingham
93.1
Whatcom County
98.3
Washington
101.4
Nativity
8.5%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Bellingham
8.5%
Whatcom County
9.9%
Washington
15.4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
34.1
years ∙ half population younger than 34.1, half older
Dependency ratio
43.5
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Bellingham
43.5
Whatcom County
59.9
Washington
61.3
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 13.8% | 18.5% | 21.4% |
| Working age (18-64) | 69.7% | 62.6% | 62% |
| Senior (65+) | 16.5% | 18.9% | 16.6% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 43.5 | 59.9 | 61.3 |
| Child dependency ratio | 19.8 | 29.6 | 34.5 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 23.7 | 30.2 | 26.8 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
40.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Bellingham
40.2%
Whatcom County
41%
Washington
56.5%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Bellingham population
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 10.2% | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| Mexican | 6.4% | 7.4% | 10.8% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Cuban | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 3.2% | 2.7% | 2.8% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 89.8% | 89.4% | 85.6% |
| One race | 83.6% | 83.2% | 78.8% |
| White | 76.2% | 75.7% | 63.1% |
| Black or African American | 1.3% | 0.9% | 3.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 5.2% | 4.4% | 9.7% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| Some Other Race | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.8% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
43.4%
family
Family
43.4%
Non family
56.6%
% family households
Bellingham
43.4%
Whatcom County
58.8%
Washington
63.4%
Average household size
2.15
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Bellingham population
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 41,500 | 94,021 | 3,064,820 |
| Average houshold size | 2.15 | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Family households | 17,995 | 55,302 | 1,942,412 |
| Average family size | 2.81 | 2.94 | 3.07 |
| Married couple family | 14,179 | 44,587 | 1,506,003 |
| Other families | 3,816 | 10,715 | 436,409 |
| Male householder | 1,057 | 3,752 | 145,719 |
| Female householder | 2,759 | 6,963 | 290,690 |
| Non-family households | 23,505 | 38,719 | 1,122,408 |
| One-person households | 15,088 | 27,099 | 848,664 |
| Male householder | 6,211 | 11,991 | 404,881 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 1,687 | 4,401 | 115,764 |
| Female householder | 8,877 | 15,108 | 443,783 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 4,270 | 8,042 | 213,754 |
| Other living arrangements | 8,417 | 11,620 | 273,744 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
43,792
housing units
Bellingham
43,792
Whatcom County
103,520
Washington
3,306,620
Occupancy status
94.8%
occupied
Occupied
94.8%
Vacant
5.2%
vacancy rate
Bellingham
5.2%
Whatcom County
9.2%
Washington
7.3%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
47.9%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1987
Half of houses were built before 1987, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 4.6 | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| 1–3 rooms | 27.3% | 18.2% | 18.6% |
| 4–6 rooms | 50.5% | 51.9% | 47.6% |
| 7+ rooms | 22.1% | 29.8% | 33.8% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 8.7% | 4.8% | 4.5% |
| 1 bedroom | 15.4% | 10.1% | 11.8% |
| 2 bedrooms | 32.1% | 26.3% | 24.3% |
| 3 bedrooms | 29.7% | 40.2% | 36.2% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 14.1% | 18.6% | 23.2% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1987 | 1989 | 1986 |
| Total housing units | 43,792 | 103,520 | 3,306,620 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
44.6%
owners
Renter-occupied
55.4%
Owner-occupied
44.6%
homeownership rate
Bellingham
44.6%
Whatcom County
63.7%
Washington
63.8%
Average household size
2.28
Owner-occupied
2.04
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Bellingham
2.28
Whatcom County
2.53
Washington
2.65
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 41,500 | 94,021 | 3,064,820 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 35.4% | 27.7% | 27.6% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 41.8% | 41.5% | 41.8% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 13.3% | 17.6% | 15.4% |
| 1999 or earlier | 9.5% | 13.3% | 15% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 97.6% | 96.3% | 96.5% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 1.2% | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| 1.51 or more | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.4% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 9.5% | 6.4% | 7.1% |
| 1 vehicle | 37.6% | 29.6% | 30.5% |
| 2 vehicles | 33.7% | 35.8% | 36.3% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 19.2% | 28.2% | 26.1% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 41.2% | 48.2% | 36% |
| Electricity | 56.6% | 46.5% | 58.6% |
| Solar | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| All other fuels | 1.1% | 3.9% | 3.2% |
| No fuel used | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 1.8% | 1.3% | 1% |
| No telephone service available | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$627,500
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
34.4%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $627,500 | $585,800 | $564,600 |
| Under $100,000 | 4% | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 2.6% | 2.9% | 3.8% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 5.7% | 5.3% | 7% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 20.7% | 25.8% | 27.8% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 54.9% | 50.8% | 40.8% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 12.1% | 10.4% | 15.9% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 58.4% | 62.7% | 66.1% |
| Without a mortgage | 41.6% | 37.3% | 33.9% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $2,331 | $2,307 | $2,445 |
| Without a mortgage | $771 | $735 | $773 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,577 | $1,555 | $1,760 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
48.5%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Bellingham
48.5%
Whatcom County
39.3%
Washington
39.6%
Adults without a high school diploma
4.8%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Bellingham
4.8%
Whatcom County
6.2%
Washington
7.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
26,289
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
61.1%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 26,289 | 55,832 | 1,763,756 |
| Nursery / preschool | 3.9% | 5.7% | 5.9% |
| K–12 | 36.5% | 56.6% | 69.1% |
| Kindergarten | 3.1% | 4.8% | 5.1% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 10.5% | 17.3% | 20.9% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 10.2% | 16.9% | 21.4% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 12.6% | 17.6% | 21.6% |
| College or graduate school | 59.6% | 37.7% | 25.1% |
| College, undergraduate | 54.9% | 34.1% | 19.6% |
| Graduate, professional school | 4.7% | 3.6% | 5.5% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 61.1% | 49.6% | 33.2% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 92.2% | 86.8% | 83% |
| Private school | 7.8% | 13.2% | 17% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
60,780
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 60,780 | 157,791 | 5,484,391 |
| Less than 9th grade | 1.7% | 2.4% | 3.4% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 3.1% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| High school diploma or GED | 15.4% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Some college, no degree | 20.7% | 23% | 21% |
| Associate's degree | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48.5% | 39.3% | 39.6% |
| Bachelor's degree | 28.7% | 24.4% | 24% |
| Graduate or professional | 19.8% | 14.9% | 15.6% |
| High School or higher | 95.2% | 93.8% | 92.3% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$50,271
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
5.9%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Bellingham | Whatcom County | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $50,271 | $54,738 | $62,378 |
| Less than high school graduate | $33,600 | $41,479 | $37,363 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $38,722 | $45,434 | $46,550 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $41,145 | $49,090 | $53,700 |
| Bachelor's degree | $58,046 | $61,536 | $81,898 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $85,091 | $84,468 | $108,295 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 30.9% | 19.5% | 20.8% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 21% | 13.8% | 12.2% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 15.3% | 10.8% | 8.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 5.9% | 5.2% | 4.2% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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