Marietta-AlderwoodWA
A town of 3,754.
Is Marietta-Alderwood a good place to live?
Marietta-Alderwood grades C overall, ranked 179th of 285 in Washington, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. 13% of its land is conserved. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $547K for a typical one and 6.7 times the Bellingham metro’s $82K median household income. Marietta-Alderwood’s July high is 73°F, where Washington’s towns sit at 77°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Nooksack Wildlife Area, at 594 acres with 2.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
How Marietta-Alderwood grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Marietta-Alderwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Marietta-Alderwood: who provides what
Marietta-Alderwood is unincorporated, so Whatcom County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Marietta-Alderwood.
Marietta-Alderwood has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns, trades workers with Bellingham and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Washington.
Marietta-Alderwood has set aside 13.4% of its land for conservation
4.2 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nooksack Wildlife Area | 2.1 mi | 594 |
| 2. Little Squalicum Park | 1 mi | 20 |
| 3. Lockwood Open Space | 0.4 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
On state tests, Marietta-Alderwood’s schools beat 66% of Washington districts
Its public schools are run by the Bellingham School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alderwood Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 305 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
In Marietta-Alderwood, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons average 72.8°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.8°.
Marietta-Alderwood has mild winters and cool summers. Marietta-Alderwood’s January low is 35°F. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Marietta-Alderwood is healthier than 64% of U.S. towns
Within Washington it is less healthy than 68% of the 285 graded towns: Washington sets a high bar.
Marietta-Alderwood beats the Washington average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 71% of Marietta-Alderwood adults had a checkup this year. Among 285 Washington towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Marietta-Alderwood.
| Marietta-Alderwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Marietta-Alderwood | WA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.8% | 5.1% |
| More smokers | 13.1% | 10.1% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.6% | 2.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About half of Marietta-Alderwood’s working residents commute to Bellingham
Marietta-Alderwood has about as many jobs (1,925) as working residents, but only 57 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 17.9 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Most working residents leave Marietta-Alderwood for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in Marietta-Alderwood is 18 minutes. The top destinations are Bellingham (45%), Ferndale (6%) and Seattle (5%).
| Marietta-Alderwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Older than Washington overall
People 65 and older are 22% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (21% statewide). 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across Washington.
| Marietta-Alderwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 30% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.3 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.6 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 75% are men (WA 44%).
| Marietta-Alderwood | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.2% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.1% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.9% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.4% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.1% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.8% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.1% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,800, single groups can be off by several points
Earthquakes leads a high hazard risk in Marietta-Alderwood
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 2021, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marietta-Alderwood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in Marietta-Alderwood sells for about $642K at the median
58% of households own their home in Marietta-Alderwood.
| Marietta-Alderwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,496 a month | $1,740 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mount Baker and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marietta-Alderwood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi MountainMount Baker
17 mi LandmarkPeace Arch
4 mi MuseumWhatcom Museum of History and Art
4 mi TheatreMount Baker Theatre
4 mi MuseumSPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
30 mi National Historical ParkSan Juan Island National Historical Park421K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Mount Baker: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY 2.5 · Peace Arch: Arnold C (User:Buchanan-Hermit), Attribution · Whatcom Museum of History and Art: Benjamin Cody, Public domain · Mount Baker Theatre: Benjamin Cody, Public domain · SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention: Feedmepaperr, CC0 · San Juan Island National Historical Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Marietta-Alderwood
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Marietta-Alderwood
About 7 of every 100 Marietta-Alderwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
About Marietta-Alderwood
Place in Washington, United States
Marietta-Alderwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, Marietta-Alderwood had a population of 4,015. Parts of Marietta-Alderwood were annexed into Bellingham in 2019, while the rest remains an unincorporated area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 121 ft
- Area code
- 360
Marietta-Alderwood’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Marietta-Alderwood.
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marietta-Alderwood | #179 | C | D | — | B+ | B |
| Bellingham | #225 | C− | D− | D | B+ | A− |
| Ferndale | #201 | C | D | B− | C+ | A− |
Marietta-Alderwood reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Marietta-Alderwood with a neighbor →
Questions about Marietta-Alderwood
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Marietta-Alderwood, WA a good place to live?
Marietta-Alderwood grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #179 of 285 in Washington. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Marietta-Alderwood, WA expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $547,000, 7% below the Washington typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.