City safety & data profile
BellinghamWA
Bellingham, WA is a 85K-resident city in Whatcom County with a median household income of $66,755.
Whatcom County, Washington. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Bellingham, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Bellingham has a population larger than 90% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $627,500, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.
Data updated 2026-07-20
- 85K
- Population
- Top 10%
- By size
- $66,755
- Median income
- $627,500
- Median home
- 18.6%
- Poverty rate
The read on Bellingham
Bellingham posts a median household income higher than 32% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Bellingham area.
- Top 68%
- by median income, US cities
- 1
- hospital in & near Bellingham
Where Bellingham income ranks nationally
Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)
$66,755 Bottom 32% higher than 32% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year
The quick read
Reading Bellingham, WA beyond the headline numbers
Bellingham sits inside Whatcom County, Washington, at roughly 48.76°N, -122.49°W. Population 85,146, $66,755 median household income. Median home value $627,500, median rent $1,577. Poverty rate 18.6%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.
CDC PLACES: Bellingham's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 29.9%, then obesity at 26%. 1 hospital in/around Bellingham, 4/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.
Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Bellingham from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.
10-Year Trends 2013–2024
County-level trend (Whatcom County) - Bellingham's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.
Economics
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Median Rent | |
| Poverty Rate | 18.6% +31% vs avg |
| Unemployment | 5.6% |
| Bachelor's Degree+ | 48.5% |
| Work From Home | 14.7% |
| Public Transit | 3.3% |
Population
Health Profile 15 measures
Health Indicators
Preventive Care
Other Measures
Hospitals 1 total
Frequently Asked Questions 6
What is the population of Bellingham, WA? ▼
What is the median household income in Bellingham? ▼
What is the median home value in Bellingham? ▼
What are the top health concerns in Bellingham? ▼
How many hospitals are in Bellingham? ▼
What is the median age in Bellingham? ▼
Safety Context
Bellingham, WA is located in Whatcom County, Washington. With a population of 85K and a $66,755 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 4/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Bellingham area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.
Safety Guides
Primary source data
EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data
Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report
AirNow - Washington
Real-time AQI for every monitored Washington location
National Weather Service
NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories
CDC Air Quality & Health
Health-impact reference for every AQI category
EPA NAAQS standards
National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds
Nearby Cities 8
Using Bellingham's profile
Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.
- Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Bellingham area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
- Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
- Compare Bellingham against Washington peers on any ranking lens. Explore Washington
Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.
Data Sources
All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Whatcom County) where that is the smallest published unit.
Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.