CITY
Bellingham
Washington · 96,395 residents (2025 est.) · 28.2 sq mi
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The short version
Bellingham is a city of 93,438 people in Washington. 45% of homes are owner-occupied. The typical home is worth $627,500, having more than tripled since 2000. Growth has run 39% since 2000, or 26,267 more people. This is an unusually credentialed place: 48% of adults have a four-year degree. This skews young, with a median age of 34.1.
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
93,438
+39%since 2000
from 67,171 in 2000
96,395 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
28.2 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
202493K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.6%(3,325)
5 to 93.6%(3,373)
10 to 143.7%(3,491)
15 to 197.8%(7,315)
20 to 2416.2%(15,154)
25 to 3416.4%(15,339)
35 to 4412.6%(11,747)
45 to 5410.5%(9,805)
55 to 649.1%(8,482)
65 to 749.3%(8,686)
75 to 845.3%(4,963)
85 and over1.9%(1,758)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$66,755
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,530 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
44.8%
+22.6 ptssince 2009
from 22.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11%
Retail trade8.6%
Wholesale trade4.6%
Other services4.5%
Finance & insurance3.6%
Professional, scientific, technical3.4%
Public administration2.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.4%
Construction1.3%
Education & health services0.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$627,500
+131%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $148,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
9.4
+16%since 2009
from 8.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
77
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
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)
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)
Central American0.8%(789)
South American0.8%(723)
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)
Venezuelan0%(43)
Nicaraguan0%(38)
Panamanian0%(38)
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
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
Scotch-Irish1%(940)
British0.9%(823)
Russian0.8%(778)
Swiss0.8%(723)
Canadian0.6%(603)
Danish0.6%(586)
Subsaharan African0.5%(486)
Portuguese0.5%(485)
Finnish0.5%(450)
Arab0.4%(383)
French Canadian0.4%(358)
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)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(17)
Armenian0%(15)
Ethiopian0%(14)
Iraqi0%(10)
Palestinian0%(8)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
95.2%
+6.7 ptssince 2000
from 88.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.8%
+4.6 ptssince 2020
from 75.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
98.0%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 94.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
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
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
16.3%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 17.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.3%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 2.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
70.8%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 73.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.4%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 33.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)26.5%(1,045)
Gulf War (1990s)24.7%(973)
Vietnam era36%(1,420)
Korean War5.8%(228)
World War II0.9%(37)
Share of the 3,939 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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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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WashingtonDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024