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CITY

Bellingham

Washington · 96,395 residents (2025 est.) · 28.198 sq mi
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The short version

Bellingham has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $66,755. Population has grown 39% since 2000. 48% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $627,500. At a median age of 34.1, residents skew younger than the country as a whole. Households here earn about 32% less than the Washington median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.1
US median: 38.9
More educated
48% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 131%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
93,438
+39%since 2000
from 67,171 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
3,314 / sq mi
+20%since 2009
from 2,751 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
34.1
+12%since 2000
from 30.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:96,395 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
48K61K73K85K98K1990201020202024Bellingham
202493K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.6%(3,325)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.6%(3,373)
US avg: 6%
10 to 143.7%(3,491)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.8%(7,315)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2416.2%(15,154)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3416.4%(15,339)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.6%(11,747)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.5%(9,805)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 649.1%(8,482)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.3%(8,686)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.3%(4,963)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(1,758)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$66,755
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,530 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$42,947
+120%since 2000
from $19,483 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
44.8%
+22.6 ptssince 2009
from 22.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
18.6%
−2.0 ptssince 2000
from 20.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.477
+2%since 2010
from 0.467 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade8.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade4.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services4.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration2.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$627,500
+131%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $148,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,577
+41%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $613 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
44.6%
−3.6 ptssince 2000
from 48.2% in 2000
55.4% rent
Vacancy rate
5.2%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
25.5%
−7.8 ptssince 2009
from 33.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
62.5%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 59.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
9.4
+16%since 2009
from 8.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
77
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Bellingham on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic85.9%(57,684)
Black0.9%(622)
Hispanic / Latino4.6%(3,111)
Asian4.2%(2,832)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic76.2%(71,196)
Black1.3%(1,212)
Hispanic / Latino10.2%(9,516)
Asian5.2%(4,888)
Other7.1%(6,626)
Diversity Score
50
+43%since 2009
from 35 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican6.4%(5,978)
Puerto Rican0.4%(402)
Honduran0.4%(383)
Peruvian0.4%(330)
Spaniard0.3%(261)
Colombian0.2%(156)
Salvadoran0.2%(144)
Dominican0.2%(142)
Costa Rican0.1%(122)
Cuban0.1%(117)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(112)
Guatemalan0.1%(64)
Bolivian0%(44)
Argentine0%(38)
Asian origin
Chinese1.4%(1,331)
Filipino1.4%(1,288)
Asian Indian0.7%(696)
Vietnamese0.4%(348)
Korean0.4%(332)
Thai0.1%(110)
Japanese0.1%(102)
Taiwanese0.1%(97)
Pakistani0.1%(83)
Cambodian0.1%(75)
Burmese0%(37)
Kazakh0%(35)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(69)
Fijian0%(42)
Samoan0%(32)
Tongan0%(25)
Ancestry
German16.9%(15,751)
English15.5%(14,493)
Irish12.6%(11,766)
Norwegian5.1%(4,753)
Scottish3.8%(3,592)
Italian3.6%(3,339)
French3.1%(2,891)
Swedish2.9%(2,711)
Dutch2.8%(2,602)
American2.7%(2,564)
Polish2.6%(2,439)
Welsh1.3%(1,222)
+ 43 more ancestry groups with data
British0.9%(823)
Russian0.8%(778)
Swiss0.8%(723)
Canadian0.6%(603)
Danish0.6%(586)
Portuguese0.5%(485)
Finnish0.5%(450)
Arab0.4%(383)
Hungarian0.3%(276)
Czech0.3%(272)
Ukrainian0.2%(233)
Austrian0.2%(174)
Lebanese0.2%(163)
Greek0.2%(163)
Ghanaian0.2%(162)
Bulgarian0.2%(146)
Iranian0.1%(134)
Croatian0.1%(123)
Lithuanian0.1%(122)
West Indian0.1%(119)
Romanian0.1%(118)
Egyptian0.1%(105)
Belgian0.1%(88)
Jamaican0.1%(87)
Latvian0.1%(77)
Slovak0.1%(73)
Australian0.1%(55)
Brazilian0.1%(52)
Israeli0%(41)
Serbian0%(40)
Slovene0%(38)
Turkish0%(36)
Syrian0%(19)
Somali0%(19)
Jordanian0%(18)
Armenian0%(15)
Ethiopian0%(14)
Iraqi0%(10)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest Mexican population · Largest Norwegian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
48.5%
+15.5 ptssince 2000
from 33.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.2%
+6.7 ptssince 2000
from 88.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
19.8%
+8.6 ptssince 2000
from 11.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
18.1 min
+50%since 2000
from 12.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
63.7%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 67.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.8%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
3.3%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.7%
+9.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
6.9%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
3.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
9.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.6%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 9.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.2%
Unchangedsince 2011
from 66.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
14.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 14.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
43.7%
−20.6 ptssince 2009
from 64.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
Female
51.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 52.3% in 2009
Foreign born
8.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.9%
−42.2 ptssince 2009
from 47.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.1%
+1.9 ptssince 2012
from 12.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.3%
−81.0 ptssince 2013
from 86.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.8%
+8.7 ptssince 2017
from 85.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
88.1%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 86.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 5.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married50.6%(20,194)
Married39.5%(15,740)
Widowed1.5%(616)
Divorced8.3%(3,326)
Women 15+
Never married45.4%(19,677)
Married35.9%(15,553)
Widowed6.4%(2,768)
Divorced12.4%(5,375)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Bellingham, Washington?

Bellingham, Washington has about 93,438 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Bellingham, Washington?

The typical household in Bellingham, Washington earns about $66,755 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Bellingham, Washington expensive?

In Bellingham, Washington, the median home is worth about $627,500, and the typical rent is about $1,577 a month.

How educated are people in Bellingham, Washington?

About 48.5% of adults age 25 and over in Bellingham, Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Bellingham, Washington?

About 18.6% of people in Bellingham, Washington live below the federal poverty line.

Has Bellingham, Washington grown since 1990?

Yes, Bellingham, Washington has grown since 1990. The population has added about 41,160 residents, a change of about 79 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Bellingham, Washington: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy