METRO AREA
Bellingham Metro
Bellingham, WA · 1 counties · 236,392 residents (2025 est.) · 2,108 sq mi
Time machine
VIEWING
COMPARE TO
Notable rankings
#40Most expensive homesof 925$585,800The short version
Bellingham is home to 230,503 people. That puts it in the top 3% of US metro areas for household income. Growth has run 38% since 2000, or 63,689 more people. The typical home is worth $585,800, having more than tripled since 2000. About 39% of adults have finished a four-year degree. There are 109 people per square mile.
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
230,503
+38%since 2000
from 166,814 in 2000
236,392 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
2,108 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024231K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.6%(10,525)
5 to 95.4%(12,509)
10 to 145.3%(12,115)
15 to 196.5%(15,092)
20 to 249.7%(22,471)
25 to 3413.9%(32,036)
35 to 4412.9%(29,737)
45 to 5411.2%(25,706)
55 to 6411.6%(26,744)
65 to 7411.5%(26,453)
75 to 845.7%(13,128)
85 and over1.7%(3,987)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$81,784
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,005 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
53.6%
+24.7 ptssince 2009
from 28.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade9.9%
Information9.8%
Wholesale trade7.7%
Other services5%
Finance & insurance4.3%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.4%
Public administration3.1%
Construction3%
Transportation & warehousing2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
Education & health services0.4%
Manufacturing0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$585,800
+115%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $149,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
7.2
+19%since 2009
from 6.0 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.
85
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
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)
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.
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)
Nicaraguan0%(50)
Panamanian0%(38)
Ecuadorian0%(28)
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
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.3%(625)
Fijian0.1%(312)
Chamorro0%(106)
Samoan0%(68)
Tongan0%(25)
Marshallese0%(17)
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)
Subsaharan African0.3%(680)
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)
Palestinian0%(74)
Ethiopian0%(69)
Australian0%(64)
Slovene0%(63)
Armenian0%(54)
Macedonian0%(47)
Israeli0%(41)
Haitian0%(38)
Moroccan0%(31)
Somali0%(31)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(30)
Nigerian0%(24)
Syrian0%(23)
Jordanian0%(18)
Barbadian0%(18)
Iraqi0%(10)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.8%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 87.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.5%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 71.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
97.6%
+3.0 ptssince 2020
from 94.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
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
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
15.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 16.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.6%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 2.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.4%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 70.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.4%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 37.1% 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)20.4%(2,404)
Gulf War (1990s)23.7%(2,794)
Vietnam era41.8%(4,942)
Korean War4.2%(501)
World War II0.7%(78)
Share of the 11,811 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
In this metro
Largest cities
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Bellingham
Gainesville
Pop 226,568
Hilton Head Island
Pop 242,966
Lebanon
Pop 224,500
St. George
Pop 213,670
Places similar to BellinghamHead to head
Compare Bellingham side by side
BELLINGHAM VS
Gainesville
Income$80,901−1%
Home value$350,400−40%
Population226,568−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BELLINGHAM VS
Hilton Head Island
Income$83,609+2%
Home value$437,202−25%
Population242,966+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BELLINGHAM VS
Lebanon
Income$83,244+2%
Home value$307,461−48%
Population224,500−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BELLINGHAM VS
St. George
Income$80,632−1%
Home value$510,700−13%
Population213,670−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Bellingham, WA?
Bellingham, WA has about 230,503 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Bellingham, WA?
The typical household in Bellingham, WA earns about $81,784 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Bellingham, WA expensive?
In Bellingham, WA, the median home is worth about $585,800, and the typical rent is about $1,555 a month.
How educated are people in Bellingham, WA?
About 39.3% of adults age 25 and over in Bellingham, WA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Bellingham, WA?
About 12.9% of people in Bellingham, WA live below the federal poverty line.
Has Bellingham, WA grown since 1990?
Yes, Bellingham, WA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 102,723 residents, a change of about 80 percent over that period.
Keep going
Explore from here
DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024