Bellingham is a city located in Whatcom County Washington. Bellingham has a 2023 population of 93,744. It is also the county seat of Whatcom County.Bellingham is currently growing at a rate of 0.78% annually and its population has increased by 2.37% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 91,570 in 2020.
The average household income in Bellingham is $80,709 with a poverty rate of 19.7%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Bellingham is 33.5 years, 32.5 years for males, and 34.5 years for females.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Bellingham was:
White
Two or more races
Asian
Other race
Black or African American
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 39,496 | 2.18 | 46.4 | 53.6 |
| Non Family | 21,434 | 1.6 | 29.3 | 70.7 |
| Married | 13,926 | 2.82 | 76.1 | 23.9 |
| Female | 3,216 | 2.93 | 31.4 | 68.6 |
| Male | 920 | 3.5 | 47.7 | 52.3 |
2.76
Average Family Size
2.18
Average Household Size
46.4%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
88.53% of Bellingham residents speak only English, while 11.47% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Asian and Pacific Island languages, which is spoken by 5.35% of the population.
rate
19.7%
Overall Poverty Rate
18.34%
Male Poverty Rate
21%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Bellingham is Other, with 40.28% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Bellingham is Islander, with 5.19% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.99%. Among those working part-time, it was 33.9%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.61%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
37.6%
Overall Marriage Rate
39.1%
Male Marriage Rate
36.1%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
9.07%
Veteran Poverty Rate
35.03%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
65.6%
Labor Force Participation
62.1%
Employment Rate
5.1%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
51.2%
Born in Bellingham
95.74%
Native Born
9.54%
Foreign Born
4.95%
Non Citizen
4.6%
Naturalized
95.74% of Bellingham residents were born in the United States, with 51.2% having been born in Washington. 4.95% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 8,155 | -90,093 | 1.81% |
| 1900 | 11,062 | 2,907 | 3.1% |
| 1910 | 24,298 | 13,236 | 8.19% |
| 1920 | 25,585 | 1,287 | 0.52% |
| 1930 | 30,823 | 5,238 | 1.88% |
| 1940 | 29,314 | -1,509 | -0.5% |
| 1950 | 34,112 | 4,798 | 1.53% |
| 1960 | 34,688 | 576 | 0.17% |
| 1970 | 39,375 | 4,687 | 1.28% |
| 1980 | 45,794 | 6,419 | 1.52% |
| 1990 | 52,179 | 6,385 | 1.31% |
| 2000 | 67,171 | 14,992 | 2.56% |
| 2010 | 80,885 | ||
| 2011 | 81,945 | 1,060 | 1.31% |
| 2012 | 83,005 | 1,060 | 1.29% |
| 2013 | 84,065 | 1,060 | 1.28% |
| 2014 | 85,125 | 1,060 | 1.26% |
| 2015 | 86,185 | 1,060 | 1.25% |
| 2016 | 87,245 | 1,060 | 1.23% |
| 2017 | 88,305 | 1,060 | 1.21% |
| 2018 | 89,365 | 1,060 | 1.2% |
| 2019 | 90,425 | 1,060 | 1.19% |
| 2020 | 91,570 | 1,145 | 1.27% |
| 2021 | 92,289 | 719 | 0.79% |
| 2022 | 93,014 | 725 | 0.79% |
| 2023 | 93,744 | 730 | 0.78% |
| 2024 | 94,480 | 736 | 0.79% |
| 2025 | 95,222 | 742 | 0.79% |
| 2026 | 95,970 | 748 | 0.79% |
| 2027 | 96,724 | 754 | 0.79% |
| 2028 | 97,483 | 759 | 0.78% |
| 2029 | 98,248 | 765 | 0.78% |