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Washington›Whatcom County

Peaceful ValleyWA

TownGrade
D−
In the bottom 2% of U.S. towns

With 2,858 residents, it is a town in Washington.

Is Peaceful Valley a good place to live?

A town with more to fix than most. The weak point is incomes: the median household income is $60K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. Peaceful Valley grades D− overall, behind almost every U.S. town. At about $318K, a typical home costs 3.9 years of the Bellingham metro’s $82K median household income. It lags on walkability as well. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. The town’s typical journey to work is 52 minutes, above both the Washington town median (27 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Peaceful Valley's schools rank behind 82% of the state's.

Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · schools, state test and graduation results.

How Peaceful Valley grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Peaceful Valley is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Peaceful Valley for work

Where Peaceful Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

27% → Bellingham Bellingham 27% 6% → Lynden Lynden 6% 5% → Seattle Seattle 5% 4% → Ferndale Ferndale 4% 4% → Deming Deming 4% 3% → Everett Everett 3% Peaceful Valley · 2% stay
49jobs based in Peaceful Valley
2%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Peaceful Valley.

Peaceful Valley has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Bellingham and beyond, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D

Peaceful Valley stands out in Washington and nationally, with the average trip to work longer than most

2%work in town

Peaceful Valley has 49 jobs for its 1,196 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 51.7 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.

1.9% of Peaceful Valley working residents work locally. The top destinations are Bellingham (27%), Lynden (6%) and Seattle (5%). Half commute less than 20 miles.

Peaceful ValleyWashington townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work52 minutes27 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line17%7.9%9.6%
Median household income$60,000$98,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town1.9%5%8%

Where working residents work

In Peaceful Valley2%
Bellingham27%
Lynden6%
Seattle5%
Ferndale4%
20 mi
median commute distance
49
jobs based in Peaceful Valley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−

Peaceful Valley has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from avalanches

76risk score of 100

FEMA puts 89% of Peaceful Valley’s expected hazard losses down to avalanches, and 8% to inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in just over three quarters of U.S. communities.

FEMA risk score
76High riskLowerHigher
AvalanchesInland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

The climate in Peaceful Valley brings four seasons and pleasant summers

11″snow a winter

July afternoons average 74.9°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 32.9°.

Peaceful Valley’s July high stands at 75°F. About 11 inches of snow falls in a winter.

Peaceful ValleyWashington townsU.S. towns
July high75°F77°F85°F
January low33°F35°F22°F

Typical low → high °F

Winter33–44°
Spring41–58°
Summer53–73°
Fall44–58°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthC+

More of Peaceful Valley’s adults report frequent mental distress than in the typical Washington or U.S. town

37%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade

The nearest emergency room, Peacehealth United General Medical Center, is 32 miles away in a straight line. Against the 8,814 U.S. towns with household incomes like Peaceful Valley’s, it is healthier than 59%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.

The share of adults in Peaceful Valley who had a checkup this year: 68%. Of the 285 Washington towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Peaceful Valley.

Peaceful ValleyWashington townsU.S. towns
Depression (CDC PLACES)32%26%23%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)68%71%79%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)22%17%17%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)17%13%14%
31 measures vs. Washington
0 better12 too close to call19 worse
What stands outPeaceful ValleyWA
More older adults who have lost all their teeth16.9%9%
More smokers18.1%10.1%
More adults facing food insecurity18.2%10.2%
Peacehealth United General Medical Center
32 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
9th
percentile among WA towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

OutdoorsC−

0% of Peaceful Valley is conserved land

#190for trails in WA

1.1 miles of trail. The density of trails for Peaceful Valley comes to 0.4 miles per square mile.

0%
conserved · 0 of 1,608 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HousingCost of living grade C

A home in Peaceful Valley sells for about $402K at the median

$402Kmedian sale price

The median property tax bill is $1,500, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.

Homes sold in Peaceful Valley spent a median 33 days on the market. The town’s rent at the middle of the market is $1,477 a month. 36% of the homes sold in Peaceful Valley went for more than their asking price.

Peaceful ValleyWashington townsU.S. towns
Median rent$1,477 a month$1,740 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home70%71%73%
Market temperature
BalancedA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
33
days on market
101.9%
sale-to-list price
5
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Peaceful Valley

16pages on Peaceful Valley
Getting set up

Moving to Peaceful Valley: who provides what

Peaceful Valley is unincorporated, so Whatcom County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPuget Sound Energy17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterColumbia Valley Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWhatcom CountyWhatcom County provides services here
SchoolsMount Baker School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereWhatcom County AuditorWhatcom County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2016
ZIP code9826698266 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Peaceful Valley; the nearest are

About Peaceful Valley

CDP in Washington, United States

Peaceful Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Whatcom County, Washington, United States, near Kendall. The population was 3,015 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
17 sq mi
Elevation
495 ft
Area code
360

Peaceful Valley’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Peaceful Valley.

Explore the map →
KendallKendallPeaceful Valley
How the neighbors grade
TownWA rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Peaceful Valley#284D−C—C−C+
Kendall——————

Peaceful Valley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Kendall isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Peaceful Valley with a neighbor →

Questions about Peaceful Valley

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Peaceful Valley, WA a good place to live?

Peaceful Valley grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.

Is Peaceful Valley, WA expensive?

The typical home is worth about $318,000, 46% 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 C.

Peaceful Valley is in here

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