City · Whatcom County, Washington

Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, part of the Bellingham, WA metro area. It has 93,438 residents. Bellingham, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 68 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,013 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #139 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on hot days (low), mental health providers (high) and high school diploma or higher (high). It ranks worst on home price to income ratio (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and rent-burdened households (high).

68High

Quality-of-life score: #5,013 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #139 of 395 in WA
Population: 93,438 (2020-2024)
Land area: 28 mi²
Density: 3,315.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 5305280

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety63#5,753/15,637
Economy32#10,585/15,631
Housing10#13,531/14,977
Health65#5,410/15,609
Healthcare66#5,311/15,650
Environment72#4,341/15,453
Education51#7,605/15,649
Infrastructure92#1,283/15,650
Community77#3,617/15,651
Leisure & amenities79#3,300/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bellingham, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Whatcom County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hot days · low1 days
98/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWhatcom County value
Mental health providers · high676 /100k
96/100Washington 568 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhatcom County value
High school diploma or higher · high95.2%
94/100Washington 92.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Average commute time · low18.1 min
93/100Washington 26.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Median Air Quality Index · low31
92/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWhatcom County value
Voter turnout · high77.0%
91/100Washington 70.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWhatcom County value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high9.4×
1/100Washington 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Distance to an emergency room · high24.2 mi
1/100Washington 7.1 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWhatcom County value
Rent-burdened households · high64.8%
2/100Washington 50.0%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Child care cost burden · high43.6%
3/100Washington 36.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhatcom County value
Depression · high30.7%
3/100Washington 25.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Comfortable days · low22.1%
3/100Washington 25.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWhatcom County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
88,764 (2015-2019) → 93,438 (2020-2024)
+5.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
12.3 /1k (2021) → 6.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−44%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
11.9% (2015-2019) → 18.8% (2020-2024)
+6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
7.0× (2015-2019) → 9.4× (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
58.1% (2015-2019) → 64.8% (2020-2024)
+6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
88.3% (2015-2019) → 93.8% (2020-2024)
+5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bellingham, Washington improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 7 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Bachelor's++4.2 points44.3% → 48.5%
Household income+25%$53,396 → $66,755
Broadband+5.5 points88.3% → 93.8%

Declined4

Price / income+2.4×7.0× → 9.4×
Child poverty+6.9 points11.9% → 18.8%
Rent burden+6.6 points58.1% → 64.8%
Transit use−1.8 points5.1% → 3.3%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Bellingham, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.5 min2015-2019	18.1 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	52%
Bachelor's degree or higher	44.3%2015-2019	48.5%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Improved	62%
Broadband subscriptions	88.3%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+5.5 points	Improved	35%
Child poverty rate	11.9%2015-2019	18.8%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Declined	16%
Effective property tax rate	0.78%2015-2019	0.67%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	38%
High school diploma or higher	94.5%2015-2019	95.2%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Home price to income ratio	7.0×2015-2019	9.4×2020-2024	+2.4×	Declined	2%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4722015-2019	0.4772020-2024	+0.005	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$53,3962015-2019	$66,7552020-2024	+25%	Improved	44%
Poverty rate	20.8%2015-2019	18.6%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Public transit commuters	5.1%2015-2019	3.3%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Declined	14%
Rent as share of income	34.9%2015-2019	37.2%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	58.1%2015-2019	64.8%2020-2024	+6.6 points	Declined	33%
Unemployment rate	6.2%2015-2019	5.6%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.9%2015-2019	6.3%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	41%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bellingham, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bellingham, Washington in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bellingham, Washington itself moved −2.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

93,438 residents (±64)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

41,500 households (±648)

Bellingham, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k19%7,709
$25k–50k18%7,656
$50k–75k18%7,556

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

41,500 households (±648)

Bellingham, Washington
Washington share

Own45%18,512
Rent55%22,988

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

50,380 workers (±1,579)

Bellingham, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone64%32,105
Carpool6.8%3,438
Public transit3.3%1,650

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Bellingham, WA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Whatcom County, the county holding most of Bellingham's residents.

Whatcom County has 7,146 employer establishments, 307 for every 10,000 residents (1.24× the US rate of 248; 1.19× Washington's), with 80,648 paid employees at an average annual pay of $59,115. The Census Bureau also counts 18,794 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,146; 18,794 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 307; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 80,648
Average annual pay: $59,115; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Whatcom County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	549	23.6	1.13×About typical	5,875	$72,461	1,189
Specialty trade contractors	528	22.7	1.47×More than typical	6,314	$83,043	799
Restaurants and other eating places	446	19.2	1.04×About typical	7,090	$26,157	44
Lessors of real estate	430	18.5	1.50×More than typical	2,691	$63,056	2,146
Construction of buildings	414	17.8	2.35×More than typical	2,110	$82,536	593
Offices of other health practitioners	257	11	1.82×More than typical	1,101	$43,671	801
Real estate agents and brokers	251	10.8	2.22×More than typical	1,757	$73,651	554
Services to buildings and dwellings	226	9.7	1.44×More than typical	1,416	$42,745	867
Full-service restaurants	225	9.7	1.26×More than typical	3,579	$28,113	18
Management, scientific and technical consulting	187	8	1.20×About typical	451	$68,424	943
Building finishing contractors	179	7.7	2.02×More than typical	891	$60,596	327
Truck transportation	158	6.8	1.34×More than typical	860	$59,301	450

Rank places for an industry Open Whatcom County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 232,620 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $685K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bellingham, Washington: $7.33 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $685K; −50% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7.33; US $1,994
Sole-source: 44%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$331.4K48%
Department of Veterans Affairs$86.3K13%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$80.5K12%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$67.4K9.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$38.7K5.7%
Public Buildings Service$38.5K5.6%
National Institutes of Health$30.9K4.5%
Federal Acquisition Service$19.4K2.8%

Top recipients

LFS INC$327.7K48%
L.C. LEE & ASSOCIATES, INC$80.5K12%
MGM SOLUTIONS, INC.$70.1K10%
SOCIETY OF PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS$67.4K9.8%
CAM-DEX CORPORATION$38.5K5.6%

Spending by fiscal year

7.5MFY2017
6.9MFY2018
5.7MFY2019
2.6MFY2020
11.1MFY2021
9.3MFY2022
9.1MFY2023
2.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Spring and wire product manufacturing · 3326$253.5K37%
Legal services · 5411$102.9K15%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$76.9K11%
Other textile product mills · 3149$74.2K11%
Web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services · 5192$67.4K9.8%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Bellingham, Washington

DELIVERY ORDER UNDER INDEFINITE DELIVERY INDEFINITE QUANTITY (IDIQ) CONTRACT NO. 70Z02319DAML00300 IN SUPPORT THE ACQUISITION OF 47 MOTOR LIFEBOAT (MLB) SERVICE LIFE EXTENSION PROGRAM (SLEP) FOUR (4) MLBS (47242, 47262, 47302).$19.7M
BIRDON AMERICA INC· Whatcom County, WA· Equipment maintenance· Aug 4, 2021 – Jan 23, 2026· 70Z02321FAML01900
ACQUIRE AND DELIVER FSV HEAVY TRAWL WIRE FOR NOAA SHIPS HENRY BIGELOW AND PISCES$328.5K
LFS INC· Whatcom County, WA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jul 23, 2026 – Jul 23, 2026· 1305M226C0020
EXPERT WITNESS$213.8K
L.C. LEE & ASSOCIATES, INC· Whatcom County, WA· Professional services· Oct 30, 2024 – Aug 11, 2026· 15JENR25P00000021

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bellingham, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Bellingham, Washington's figures are part of those of Whatcom County, WA ($17.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 3.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bellingham is mostly in Whatcom County.

See federal money in Whatcom County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bellingham, Washington is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Rick LarsenD-WA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 3.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Whatcom County80100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Bellingham, WA88

Other cities and towns in Whatcom County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5305280

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends