Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Homes are expensive, about $658K for a typical one and 8 times the Bellingham metro’s $82K median household income. Overall it grades C−, 225th among Washington's 285 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 80% of the country and it has 78 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is safety: it reports more crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, including 252 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. 51% of working residents work locally in Bellingham, against 4.8% in Washington’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Pickett House and George H. Bacon House. Bellingham is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Bellingham beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 45 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Washington towns with a listing.
Census counts: 8,135 in 1890, 91,482 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Bellingham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bellingham, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Bellingham.
Bellingham is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Washington.
78 miles of trail in 76 parks and preserves. Bellingham’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Lake Padden Park, 691 acres with 9.2 miles of trail.
| Bellingham | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Padden Park | 9.2 mi | 691 |
| 2. Sehome Hill Arboretum | 6.4 mi | 180 |
| 3. Fairhaven Park | 5.7 mi | 136 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Bellingham School District. Two of its 37 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whatcom Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 637 | – |
| Squalicum High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,273 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 4,262 to 3,405 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Bellingham is 32.5 per 1,000 residents. Bellingham reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. The violent crime rate in Bellingham is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Bellingham | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 32.5 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,168 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bellingham’s, it is healthier than 96%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
31% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Bellingham. Bellingham beats the Washington average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 69% of adults had a checkup this year in Bellingham.
| Bellingham | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 33% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bellingham | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.7% | 9.5% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 25.7% | 30.5% |
| More adults with depression | 31.3% | 25.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
18.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.9% across Washington, which weighs on its C for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 38% of residents (24% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (21% statewide). 49% of Bellingham adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Bellingham has grown 5.4% since 2020, to 96,395 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Bellingham | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 30% | 29% |
| Median age | 34.1 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
51.8% women, 48.2% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.5, men 33.7.
| Bellingham | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.2% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 21.1% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.4% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.1% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 15.4% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.7% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.8% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
July afternoons average 73.4°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.6°.
Bellingham has mild winters and cool summers. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Bellingham | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 73°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 36,724 working residents takes 18.1 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Since 2013, Bellingham has added 6,850 jobs, to 49,440 in 2023. The top destinations are Seattle (5%), Ferndale (4%) and Mount Vernon (2%).
| Bellingham | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 8 years of the Bellingham metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home (about $658K) costs more against local pay than in 87% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. 64.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 49.9% across Washington.
The typical Bellingham home is worth about $658,000, about the same as a year ago, 12% above the Washington typical home.
| Bellingham | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 71% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 65% | 51% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,577 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bellingham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bellingham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi MountainMount Baker
38 mi National ParkNorth Cascades National Park47K visitors a year
22 mi LandmarkPeace Arch
in town TheatreMount Baker Theatre
in town MuseumWhatcom Museum of History and Art37 mi Ski areaMt Baker47 runs · 1,475 ft verticalMount Baker: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY 2.5 · North Cascades National Park: Daniel Hershman, CC BY 2.0 · Peace Arch: Arnold C (User:Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution · Mount Baker Theatre: Benjamin Cody, Public domain · Whatcom Museum of History and Art: Benjamin Cody, Public domain
4 within 15 miles of the center of Bellingham
College town 17 of every 100 Bellingham residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
3 colleges in town.
45 places in Bellingham on the National Register of Historic Places.
53 notable people were born in Bellingham.
City in Washington, United States
Bellingham ( BEL-ing-ham) is a city in and the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies 21 miles (34 km) south of the Canada–United States border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, 52 miles (84 km) to the northwest and Seattle 90 miles (140 km) to the south. The population was 91,482 at the 2020 census, and estimated to be 94,720 in 2023. It is the site of Western Washington University, Bellingham International Airport, and the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway. Bellingham is the northernmost city with a population of more than 90,000 people in the contiguous United States. The area around Bellingham Bay, named in 1792 by George Vancouver, is th…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Bellingham.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham | #225 | C− | D− | D | B+ | A− |
| Marietta-Alderwood | #179 | C | D | — | B+ | B |
| Geneva | — | — | D− | — | B+ | A+ |
Geneva has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Marietta-Alderwood and Geneva report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bellingham with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bellingham grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #225 of 285 in Washington. It grades A− for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
53 notable people were born here, including Billy Burke and Tommy Noonan.
