Jobs, pay and daily life in Bellingham, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Bellingham is a city in Washington with 93,438 residents. The median household earns $66,755 a year and the median rent is $1,577 a month, which is 28.3% of the median household income. It is part of the Bellingham, WA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 91,390 jobs.
How Bellingham compares. Among the 80 largest places in Washington, Bellingham is #12 by population, #74 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #7 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #73 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Whatcom County, is #12 of 39 counties for average pay ($65,174).
Bellingham has 93,438 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.2% of the population of Washington. It covers 28 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 3,314 people per square mile. The median age is 34.1, 11% younger than the state median (34.1 against 38.3).
The median gross rent is $1,577 a month (rent plus utilities), 10% below the state median ($1,577 against $1,760). Over a year that is 28.3% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $627,500, which is 9.4 times the median household income ($66,755); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 44.6% of households own their home, 30% below the state average (44.6% against 63.8%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Bellingham, WA metropolitan area has 91,390 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $57,820 a year, 13% above the national median ($57,820 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (10,380 jobs, median $51,760); food preparation and serving related (8,900 jobs, median $43,290); sales and related (8,720 jobs, median $43,790). The area is most specialised in construction and extraction (1.6 times) and production (1.3 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are healthcare practitioners and technical ($103,760) and business and financial operations ($82,300). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Whatcom County was 3.5%. 65.9% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Whatcom County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 63.7% drive alone, 3.3% use public transit, 6.9% walk, 14.8% work from home. 6.5% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 61% below the state average (6.5% against 16.9%).
48.5% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 22% above the state share (48.5% against 39.6%). 8.4% of residents were born outside the United States, 45% below the state share (8.4% against 15.4%). The poverty rate is 18.6%, 88% above the state rate (18.6% against 9.9%).
The warmest month is Aug, averaging 64°F (17.9°C), and the coolest is Dec at 36°F (2.0°C). About 1,402 mm (55 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Nov is the wettest month (222 mm) and Jul the driest (29 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Anacortes (20 miles, rent 8% higher); Mount Vernon (24 miles, rent 11% lower); Oak Harbor (33 miles, rent 4% higher); Arlington (43 miles, rent 21% higher). Rent differences are against Bellingham; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Washington (1,198) →State guide: WashingtonCountry guideWhatcom CountyWashington rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,198 federal postings open in Washington (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Washington →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,830 | 1.25 | $37,030 | $35,230 | $45,490 | +19% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,830 | 1.23 | $37,840 | $35,470 | $50,660 | +7% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,350 | 0.93 | $44,080 | $38,240 | $48,080 | +23% |
| Cashiers | 2,190 | 1.21 | $37,250 | $35,670 | $48,250 | +13% |
| Registered Nurses | 1,850 | 0.93 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,510 | 1.16 | $43,560 | $37,060 | $60,470 | +18% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,450 | 1.09 | $56,700 | $36,670 | $89,830 | +61% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,350 | 0.93 | $49,460 | $37,950 | $69,330 | +10% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,330 | 0.80 | $41,750 | $36,690 | $54,600 | +12% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,270 | 0.62 | $125,840 | $72,800 | $270,130 | +19% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,200 | 0.99 | $61,890 | $48,420 | $78,180 | +6% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 1,200 | 1.44 | $51,670 | $38,510 | $57,400 | +40% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,140 | 1.42 | $57,000 | $44,770 | $74,970 | +12% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,120 | 0.65 | $45,570 | $36,630 | $56,940 | +13% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,090 | 1.32 | $45,370 | $36,800 | $56,700 | +21% |
| Construction Laborers | 1,030 | 1.60 | $58,360 | $39,720 | $93,760 | +24% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,000 | 0.65 | $46,940 | $38,480 | $61,880 | +5% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 960 | 1.16 | $47,850 | $38,880 | $59,730 | +7% |
| Carpenters | 950 | 2.41 | $73,260 | $50,950 | $118,510 | +21% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 920 | 1.09 | $76,530 | $52,360 | $105,960 | +10% |
These figures are for the whole Bellingham, WA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $57,820 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 27.4% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 13.8% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.3% |
| Retail trade | 11.0% |
| Manufacturing | 8.6% |
| Other services | 6.3% |
| Construction | 4.6% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.5% |
| Public administration | 4.1% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 3.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.7% |
| Information | 1.7% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Bellingham lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whatcom County | 230,503 | $20,640 million | $89,542 | 93,430 | 7,358 | $65,174 | +0.2% | 3.5% | 113,440 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 13,337 | 18.0% | $66,137 | 1.00 |
| Retail trade | 10,643 | 14.3% | $42,238 | 1.14 |
| Manufacturing | 8,935 | 12.0% | $79,570 | 1.16 |
| Accommodation and food services | 8,347 | 11.2% | $28,924 | 0.98 |
| Construction | 7,564 | 10.2% | $86,578 | 1.54 |
| Professional and technical services | 4,444 | 6.0% | $93,380 | 0.68 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,152 | 5.6% | $52,875 | 0.75 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,568 | 4.8% | $49,987 | 1.27 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,731 | 3.7% | $74,705 | 0.74 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,572 | 3.5% | $106,149 | 0.68 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,212 | 3.0% | $59,007 | 0.56 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,541 | 2.1% | $24,523 | 0.98 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,265 | 1.7% | $56,192 | 0.87 |
| Educational services | 1,252 | 1.7% | $36,882 | 0.65 |
| Information | 1,195 | 1.6% | $115,574 | 0.68 |
| Management of companies | 325 | 0.4% | $87,877 | 0.21 |
| Utilities | 172 | 0.2% | $164,612 | 0.48 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 63.7% |
| Public transit | 3.3% |
| Walk | 6.9% |
| Work from home | 14.8% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 6.5% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,755 |
| Income per person | $42,947 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,577 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 28.3% |
| Median home value | $627,500 |
| Homeowners | 44.6% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 103.3 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $57,820 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 34.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 95.2% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 48.5% |
| Born abroad | 8.4% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 65.9% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.5 | 36 | 207 |
| Feb | 3.0 | 37 | 114 |
| Mar | 5.4 | 42 | 157 |
| Apr | 8.3 | 47 | 97 |
| May | 12.5 | 54 | 71 |
| Jun | 14.9 | 59 | 56 |
| Jul | 17.8 | 64 | 29 |
| Aug | 17.9 | 64 | 36 |
| Sep | 14.9 | 59 | 76 |
| Oct | 9.9 | 50 | 153 |
| Nov | 5.3 | 42 | 222 |
| Dec | 2.0 | 36 | 184 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anacortes | WA | 20 mi | 17,966 | $91,951 | $1,702 |
| Mount Vernon | WA | 24 mi | 35,377 | $75,777 | $1,405 |
| Oak Harbor | WA | 33 mi | 24,362 | $76,084 | $1,645 |
| Arlington | WA | 43 mi | 21,095 | $88,231 | $1,905 |
| Marysville | WA | 49 mi | 73,002 | $103,974 | $1,997 |
| Lake Stevens | WA | 55 mi | 40,253 | $122,336 | $2,224 |
| Everett | WA | 56 mi | 111,845 | $83,512 | $1,740 |
| Mukilteo | WA | 59 mi | 21,323 | $132,861 | $2,166 |
| Eastmont | WA | 61 mi | 23,721 | $138,912 | $2,443 |
| Mill Creek | WA | 63 mi | 20,956 | $124,364 | $2,249 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
93,438 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,577 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 28.3% of the median household income.
$66,755 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.5% (BLS county, Whatcom County (latest month 2026M09)).
Washington. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.