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COUNTY

Whatcom County

Washington · 236,392 residents (2025 est.) · 2,107.949 sq mi
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Part of the Bellingham metro area
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Notable rankings
#91Most expensive homesof 3,139$585,800
The short version

Whatcom County has roughly average household income, with a median household income of $81,784. Population has grown 38% since 2000. Median home value has more than tripled since 2000, reaching $585,800. It ranks in the top 5% of US counties for household income.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
39% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 115%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
230,503
+38%since 2000
from 166,814 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
109 / sq mi
+20%since 2009
from 92 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
38.4
+13%since 2000
from 34.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:236,392 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
118K148K179K210K241K1990201020202024Whatcom County
2024231K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.6%(10,525)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(12,509)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.3%(12,115)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(15,092)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 249.7%(22,471)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.9%(32,036)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.9%(29,737)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.2%(25,706)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.6%(26,744)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.5%(26,453)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.7%(13,128)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(3,987)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$81,784
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,005 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$45,361
+127%since 2000
from $20,025 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
53.6%
+24.7 ptssince 2009
from 28.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.9%
−1.3 ptssince 2000
from 14.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.462
+5%since 2010
from 0.438 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade9.9%
US avg: 9.9%
Information9.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Public administration3.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Construction3%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.4%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$585,800
+115%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $149,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,555
+37%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $622 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
63.7%
+0.3 ptssince 2000
from 63.4% in 2000
36.3% rent
Vacancy rate
9.2%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
27.1%
−6.1 ptssince 2009
from 33.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
57.3%
+4.5 ptssince 2009
from 52.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
7.2
+19%since 2009
from 6.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
79
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Whatcom County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic86.2%(143,842)
Black0.6%(1,065)
Hispanic / Latino5.2%(8,687)
Asian2.8%(4,598)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic75.7%(174,501)
Black0.9%(2,118)
Hispanic / Latino10.6%(24,461)
Asian4.4%(10,036)
Other8.4%(19,387)
Diversity Score
51
+42%since 2009
from 36 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
16
−31%since 2020
from 23 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican7.4%(16,974)
Central American0.8%(1,926)
South American0.5%(1,125)
Puerto Rican0.4%(1,017)
Spaniard0.3%(730)
Guatemalan0.3%(711)
Salvadoran0.2%(513)
Honduran0.2%(477)
Peruvian0.2%(387)
Venezuelan0.1%(243)
Colombian0.1%(190)
Cuban0.1%(168)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(143)
Costa Rican0.1%(137)
Chilean0.1%(121)
Argentine0%(99)
Bolivian0%(57)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.2%(2,669)
Chinese0.9%(2,140)
Filipino0.8%(1,746)
Vietnamese0.4%(890)
Korean0.2%(527)
Japanese0.1%(267)
Cambodian0.1%(194)
Pakistani0.1%(193)
Taiwanese0.1%(185)
Kazakh0.1%(163)
Thai0.1%(144)
Sri Lankan0%(115)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(37)
Malaysian0%(31)
Laotian0%(20)
Nepalese0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Fijian0.1%(312)
Chamorro0%(106)
Samoan0%(68)
Tongan0%(25)
Ancestry
German15.5%(35,735)
English14%(32,161)
Irish10%(23,089)
Norwegian5.5%(12,748)
Dutch5.3%(12,223)
Scottish3.7%(8,424)
Italian3.4%(7,838)
Swedish3.2%(7,468)
American3.2%(7,458)
French2.6%(5,888)
Polish2%(4,612)
Russian1.1%(2,640)
+ 48 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish1.1%(2,531)
Welsh1.1%(2,513)
British0.8%(1,898)
Canadian0.8%(1,734)
Danish0.6%(1,425)
French Canadian0.6%(1,277)
Swiss0.6%(1,268)
Ukrainian0.5%(1,221)
Finnish0.5%(1,111)
Portuguese0.3%(780)
Arab0.3%(741)
Hungarian0.3%(672)
Lithuanian0.3%(590)
Czech0.2%(555)
Greek0.2%(521)
Austrian0.2%(412)
Croatian0.2%(363)
West Indian0.2%(359)
Lebanese0.2%(350)
Belgian0.1%(297)
Romanian0.1%(265)
Iranian0.1%(241)
Jamaican0.1%(205)
Latvian0.1%(178)
Slovak0.1%(166)
Ghanaian0.1%(162)
Serbian0.1%(158)
Bulgarian0.1%(156)
Egyptian0.1%(126)
Brazilian0%(91)
Turkish0%(81)
Ethiopian0%(69)
Slovene0%(63)
Armenian0%(54)
Israeli0%(41)
Haitian0%(38)
Moroccan0%(31)
Somali0%(31)
Nigerian0%(24)
Syrian0%(23)
Jordanian0%(18)
Barbadian0%(18)
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
39.3%
+12.1 ptssince 2000
from 27.2% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.8%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 87.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
14.9%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 8.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.6 min
+59%since 2000
from 13.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
69.2%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 72.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.5%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.8%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.8%
+8.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.8%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−3.9 ptssince 2011
from 8.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
63.1%
−2.5 ptssince 2011
from 65.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
13.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
41.6%
−21.5 ptssince 2009
from 63.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
Female
50.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.6% in 2009
Foreign born
9.9%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.3%
−42.7 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.3%
+1.7 ptssince 2012
from 12.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.8%
−80.6 ptssince 2013
from 86.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.7%
+8.9 ptssince 2017
from 84.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
87.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2016
from 87.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 5.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38.5%(37,060)
Married50.5%(48,592)
Widowed2%(1,950)
Divorced8.9%(8,540)
Women 15+
Never married32.3%(32,074)
Married48.6%(48,186)
Widowed6.9%(6,885)
Divorced12.2%(12,067)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Whatcom County to nearby counties

WHATCOM COUNTY VS
Skagit County
Income$89,263+9%
Home value$545,100−7%
Population132,975−44%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHATCOM COUNTY VS
Snohomish County
Income$111,246+36%
Home value$696,000+19%
Population870,656+268%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHATCOM COUNTY VS
Island County
Income$90,551+11%
Home value$593,300+1%
Population85,657−64%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHATCOM COUNTY VS
San Juan County
Income$84,800+4%
Home value$799,200+36%
Population18,577−92%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Whatcom County, Washington?

Whatcom County, Washington has about 230,503 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Whatcom County, Washington?

The typical household in Whatcom County, Washington earns about $81,784 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Whatcom County, Washington expensive?

In Whatcom County, Washington, the median home is worth about $585,800, and the typical rent is about $1,555 a month.

How educated are people in Whatcom County, Washington?

About 39.3% of adults age 25 and over in Whatcom County, Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Whatcom County, Washington?

About 12.9% of people in Whatcom County, Washington live below the federal poverty line.

Has Whatcom County, Washington grown since 1990?

Yes, Whatcom County, Washington has grown since 1990. The population has added about 102,723 residents, a change of about 80 percent over that period.

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54 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 103.03Census Tract 1.02Census Tract 10Census Tract 9.02Census Tract 106Census Tract 7Census Tract 103.01Census Tract 8.03Census Tract 8.04Census Tract 107.01Census Tract 105.03Census Tract 102.02Census Tract 105.05Census Tract 5.01Census Tract 103.02Census Tract 107.02Census Tract 3.01Census Tract 8.05Census Tract 2.01Census Tract 12.04
16 ZIP codes
ZIP 98225ZIP 98226ZIP 98229ZIP 98248ZIP 98264ZIP 98230ZIP 98247ZIP 98266ZIP 98240ZIP 98295ZIP 98244ZIP 98276ZIP 98281ZIP 98262ZIP 98220ZIP 98283
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Whatcom County, Washington: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy