Bellingham, Washington Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Bellingham, WA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above average
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D
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Bellingham | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 75,102 | 7,801,159 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2461.4 | 109.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.94% | 1.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.9 | 36.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 32,600 | 3,058,619 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Bellingham grew by 45.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 75,102 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Bellingham is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 36.2% of residents. That is 14.8 points above Washington as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 27,221 36.2% +14.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 16,159 21.5% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,900 15.8% -3.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,826 13.1% -3.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Washington, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Bellingham and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Washington 49.7%
- Men 49.2% Washington 50.3%
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Economy
Bellingham has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Bellingham | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,233 | $98,224 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.56% | 5.64% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Bellingham is about 34% lower than in Washington.
Housing
| Metric | Bellingham | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $118,266 | $485,016 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,561 | $1,759 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 42.6% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Bellingham is about 6.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,561 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Bellingham spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 129 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Bellingham | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.5 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.0 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 129 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,003 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.7% | 19.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,991 | 10,119 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,747 | 1,525 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Bellingham is 15 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Washington.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Bellingham has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Bellingham | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.6% | 35.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.18 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Health
Bellingham has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Bellingham | Washington Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.3% | 15.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.5% | 16.4% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bellingham, Washington.
How big is Bellingham, Washington by population?
About 75,102 people live in Bellingham, Washington, in 32,600 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 33.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Bellingham, Washington mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Bellingham, Washington has 2,461 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 28 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Bellingham, Washington an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($118,266 against $65,233), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,561 a month takes about 29% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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