State
County
Land Area
27.7 sq mi
Density
3,468.0/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
1.96%
Growth Since 2010
18.70%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
237,347
Bellingham is a city located in Washington. With a 2020 population of 96,014, it is the 11th largest city in Washington and the 339th largest city in the United States. Bellingham is currently growing at a rate of 1.96% annually and its population has increased by 18.70% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 80,885 in 2010. Bellingham reached it's highest population of 96,014 in 2021. Spanning over 30 miles, Bellingham has a population density of 3,468 people per square mile.
The average household income in Bellingham is $71,680 with a poverty rate of 20.82%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,056 per month, and the median house value is $374,700. The median age in Bellingham is 31.5 years, 30.3 years for males, and 33.4 years for females. For every 100 females there are 95.5 males.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Bellingham was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
| Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 237,347 | 4,050 | 1.71% |
| 2020 | 233,297 | 4,050 | 1.74% |
| 2019 | 229,247 | 4,050 | 1.77% |
| 2018 | 225,197 | 3,787 | 1.68% |
| 2017 | 221,410 | 4,993 | 2.26% |
| 2016 | 216,417 | 4,581 | 2.12% |
| 2015 | 211,836 | 3,682 | 1.74% |
| 2014 | 208,154 | 2,081 | 1.00% |
| 2013 | 206,073 | 1,210 | 0.59% |
| 2012 | 204,863 | 1,373 | 0.67% |
| 2011 | 203,490 | 1,945 | 0.96% |
| 2010 | 201,545 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 73,853 | 83.20% |
| Asian | 5,277 | 5.94% |
| Two or More Races | 4,260 | 4.80% |
| Some Other Race | 2,739 | 3.09% |
| Black or African American | 1,416 | 1.60% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1,012 | 1.14% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 207 | 0.23% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 36,864 | 2.28 | 45.4 |
| Non Family | 19,991 | 1.67 | 28.3 |
| Married | 12,596 | 2.96 | 73.5 |
| Female | 3,205 | 3 | 40.6 |
| Male | 1,072 | 3.52 | 47 |
2.88
Average Family Size
2.28
Average Household Size
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than 9th Grade | 807 | 1.49% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 2,164 | 4.00% |
| High School Graduate | 9,823 | 18.15% |
| Some College | 11,487 | 21.22% |
| Associates Degree | 5,882 | 10.87% |
| Bachelors Degree | 14,943 | 27.60% |
| Graduate Degree | 9,029 | 16.68% |
| Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 44,646 | 43,113 | 20,786 |
| Hispanic | 3,704 | 2,986 | 1,067 |
| Asian | 2,886 | 2,493 | 1,307 |
| Multiple Races | 1,748 | 1,486 | 605 |
| Other Race | 1,268 | 958 | 316 |
| Black | 836 | 651 | 224 |
| Native American | 660 | 572 | 116 |
| Islander | 146 | 136 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 96.57%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 46.56%.
$38,309
Average Earnings
$44,896
Average Male
$32,122
Average Female
87.65% of Bellingham residents speak only English, while 12.35% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 5.59% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 65,828 | 12,112 | 18.40% |
| Hispanic | 7,758 | 2,317 | 29.87% |
| Asian | 5,112 | 1,503 | 29.40% |
| Multiple | 4,069 | 1,075 | 26.42% |
| Other | 2,654 | 676 | 25.47% |
| Black | 1,322 | 427 | 32.30% |
| Native | 866 | 306 | 35.33% |
| Islander | 189 | 54 | 28.57% |
20.82%
Overall Poverty Rate
19.31%
Male Poverty Rate
22.26%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Bellingham is Native, with 35.33% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Bellingham is White, with 18.40% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.69%. Among those working part-time, it was 38.70%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 25.79%.
35.2%
Overall Marriage Rate
36.5%
Male Marriage Rate
34.0%
Female Marriage Rate
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 35-44.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| White | 4,353 | 6.84% |
| Black | 214 | 18.71% |
| Hispanic | 191 | 3.40% |
| 2 or More | 138 | 4.59% |
| Other | 105 | 5.55% |
| Indian | 55 | 6.06% |
| Asian | 23 | 0.50% |
10.97%
Veteran Poverty Rate
38.24%
Veteran Disability Rate
64.3%
Labor Force Participation
60.2%
Employment Rate
6.2%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
90.33%
Native Born
9.67%
Foreign Born
4.60%
Non Citizen
5.07%
Naturalized
90.33% of Bellingham residents were born in the United States, with 48.80% having been born in Washington. 4.60% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96,014 | 1,850 | 1.96% |
| 2020 | 94,164 | 1,850 | 2.00% |
| 2019 | 92,314 | 1,850 | 2.05% |
| 2018 | 90,464 | 1,433 | 1.61% |
| 2017 | 89,031 | 2,077 | 2.39% |
| 2016 | 86,954 | 1,956 | 2.30% |
| 2015 | 84,998 | 1,612 | 1.93% |
| 2014 | 83,386 | 793 | 0.96% |
| 2013 | 82,593 | 294 | 0.36% |
| 2012 | 82,299 | 440 | 0.54% |
| 2011 | 81,859 | 562 | 0.69% |
| 2010 | 81,297 | 14,126 | 1.93% |
| 2000 | 67,171 | 14,992 | 2.56% |
| 1990 | 52,179 | 6,385 | 1.31% |
| 1980 | 45,794 | 6,419 | 1.52% |
| 1970 | 39,375 | 4,687 | 1.28% |
| 1960 | 34,688 | 576 | 0.17% |
| 1950 | 34,112 | 4,798 | 1.53% |
| 1940 | 29,314 | -1,509 | -0.50% |
| 1930 | 30,823 | 5,238 | 1.88% |
| 1920 | 25,585 | 1,287 | 0.52% |
| 1910 | 24,298 | 13,236 | 8.19% |
| 1900 | 11,062 | 2,907 | 3.10% |
| 1890 | 8,155 | 0.00% |