Census-designated place · Island County, Washington

Whidbey Island Station, Washington

Whidbey Island Station is a census-designated place in Island County, Washington, part of the Oak Harbor, WA metro area. It has 2,027 residents. Whidbey Island Station, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 74 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,083 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Washington it ranks #106 of 395 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), hot days (low) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on rent as share of income (high), pharmacies (low) and hospital quality rating (low).

74High

Quality-of-life score: #4,083 of 15,651 cities and towns
Washington: #106 of 395 in WA
Population: 2,027 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 308.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 5378155

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 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.

Safety88#1,822/15,637
Economy40#9,354/15,631
Housing—
Health72#4,439/15,609
Healthcare33#10,539/15,650
Environment90#1,506/15,453
Education29#11,042/15,649
Infrastructure72#4,342/15,650
Community77#3,529/15,651
Leisure & amenities75#3,986/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Whidbey Island Station, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Island 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

Average commute time · low6.5 min
100/100Washington 26.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Hot days · low0 days
99/100Washington 13 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationIsland County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,258 /100k
99/100Washington 1,865 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIsland County value
Violent crime rate · low79 /100k
91/100Washington 284 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationIsland County value
Voter turnout · high76.2%
89/100Washington 70.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionIsland County value
Life expectancy · high80.8 yrs
88/100Washington 78.7 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIsland County value

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Washington 30.0%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
6/100Washington 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsIsland County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Washington 3.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesIsland County value
Students per teacher · high18.0×
14/100Washington 17.9×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsIsland County value
Child care cost burden · high37.4%
15/100Washington 36.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIsland County value
Mammography screening · low40.0%
19/100Washington 41.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIsland County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,371 (2015-2019) → 2,027 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
21.4% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
83.0% (2015-2019) → 69.2% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
39.5% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 10.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$32,098 (2015-2019) → $45,625 (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Whidbey Island Station, Washington improved on 0 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Rent / income+12 points39.5% → 51.0%

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Whidbey Island Station, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	9.0 min2015-2019	6.5 min2020-2024	−2.5 min	Within the margin of error	75%
Broadband subscriptions	87.6%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	100.0%2015-2019	98.0%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.2752015-2019	0.3042020-2024	+0.028	Within the margin of error	28%
Median household income	$32,0982015-2019	$45,6252020-2024	+42%	Within the margin of error	77%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	39.5%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+12 points	Declined	7%
Rent-burdened households	83.0%2015-2019	69.2%2020-2024	−14 points	Within the margin of error	88%

“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 Whidbey Island Station, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Whidbey Island Station, 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.

No place that looked like Whidbey Island Station, Washington five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Whidbey Island Station, Washington itself moved −4.7 points in standing on average over the same 7 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

2,027 residents (±76)

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

59 households (±31)

Whidbey Island Station, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k12%†7
$25k–50k46%†27
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

59 households (±31)

Whidbey Island Station, Washington
Washington share

Own0.0%0
Rent100%†59

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,924 workers (±98)

Whidbey Island Station, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone55%1,058
Carpool17%†327
Public transit0.0%0

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 Oak Harbor, 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 Island County, the county holding most of Whidbey Island Station's residents.

Island County has 1,941 employer establishments, 225 for every 10,000 residents (0.91× the US rate of 248; 0.87× Washington's), with 14,486 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,915. The Census Bureau also counts 6,535 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,941; 6,535 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 225; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 14,486
Average annual pay: $47,915; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	198	23	1.48×More than typical	914	$64,158	269
Construction of buildings	152	17.6	2.33×More than typical	563	$63,544	198
Restaurants and other eating places	140	16.2	0.88×About typical	1,972	$30,804	21
Lessors of real estate	134	15.5	1.26×More than typical	337	$54,528	721
Ambulatory health care services	117	13.6	0.65×Fewer than typical	762	$55,108	392
Services to buildings and dwellings	102	11.8	1.76×More than typical	370	$41,957	338
Landscaping services	68	7.9	2.25×More than typical	275	$41,731	144
Real estate agents and brokers	68	7.9	1.62×More than typical	128	$58,617	235
Full-service restaurants	66	7.7	1.00×About typical	895	$35,978	9
Building equipment contractors	60	7	1.16×About typical	319	$73,006	38
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	54	6.3	1.99×More than typical	327	$62,128	26
Management, scientific and technical consulting	54	6.3	0.93×About typical	106	$54,443	334

Rank places for an industry Open Island County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 86,194 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 $72.2M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Whidbey Island Station, Washington: $35,610 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $72.2M; −45% vs FY2025
Per resident: $35,610; US $2,007
Sole-source: 81%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.8%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$68M94%
Defense Health Agency$1.9M2.6%
Defense Commissary Agency$1.5M2.0%
Defense Information Systems Agency$467.3K0.6%
Defense Logistics Agency$241.6K0.3%
Department of the Air Force$64K0.1%
Department of the Army$24K0.0%
Department of State$1,5610.0%

Top recipients

SKOOKUM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS$31.8M44%
THE BOEING COMPANY$14.4M20%
ABSHER CONSTRUCTION CO$9.3M13%
RAYTHEON COMPANY$5.8M8.1%
BOEING AEROSPACE OPERATIONS, INC.$4.6M6.3%

Spending by fiscal year

109.4MFY2017
58.6MFY2018
93.9MFY2019
32.7MFY2020
31MFY2021
142.6MFY2022
104.3MFY2023
88.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$31.8M44%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$14.5M20%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$9.3M13%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$5.9M8.1%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$5.5M7.6%
Other support services · 5619$1.5M

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Whidbey Island Station, Washington

RENOVATE BEQ-THE REPAIRS ARE REQUIRED TO CORRECT BUILDING DEFICIENCIES INCLUDING MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, ROOFING, STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS, SEISMIC DEFICIENCIES, INTERIOR FINISHES, LIFE SAFETY ISSUES, AND SITE AMENITIES.$88.2M
PACWEST-KORTE JV· Island County, WA· Construction & real property· May 3, 2022 – Nov 3, 2025· N4425522C1500
X005 P260 P-8A AIRCRAFT AIRFIELD PAVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS, NAVAL AIR$55.9M
CMS CORPORATION· Island County, WA· Construction & real property· Jul 27, 2023 – Mar 9, 2026· N4425523F4368
P273 BULK FUEL HYDRANT SYSTEM, NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA.$47.4M
ABSHER CONSTRUCTION CO· Island County, WA· Construction & real property· Sep 24, 2025 – Jun 2, 2026· N4425525C0009

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Whidbey Island Station, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Whidbey Island Station, Washington's figures are part of those of Island County, WA ($78.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 92% of that total.

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

See federal money in Island 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.

Whidbey Island Station, 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.

Island County88100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Oak Harbor, WA94

Other cities and towns in Island 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
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/5378155

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends