Whatcom County, Washington
Population 230,503 · Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale
- Overall cost of living: +3.3% vs the US average, higher than 95% of US counties.
- Hot days (90°F+): 0 days, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+3.3% | higher than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Bellingham, WA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $585,800 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,555 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $99/mo | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $15,090/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.7% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.5% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $4,087 | higher than 93% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $81,784 | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -3% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 356 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈153 days | lower than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 74°F | lower than 98% of US counties |
| January low | 34°F | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈9 in | lower than 55% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Blaine, WA, 18 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 0 days | the lowest in the US |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 59 days | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 5.2% of weeks | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈54.6°F | lower than 83% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 43.8 in | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $151/yr | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $80/yr | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $70/yr | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $0.06/yr | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.21/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 5.1 µg/m³ | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 2.6 mi | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈7,866.2 ft | higher than 99% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 93.8% | higher than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 39.3% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 14.9% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.2:1 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 81.7% | lower than 86% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.32 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.35 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.72 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.7 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 92/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.5★ | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 79.3 yrs | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.2% | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 676/100k | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 78/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 83.3% | higher than 81% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 16 min | the lowest in the US |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 16 min | the lowest in the US |
| Avg commute | 22 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 93.7% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1.8% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 14.8% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 115 min | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 51 per sq mi | higher than 79% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.9 per 1k | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 17.6 per 1k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Population | 230,503 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Median age | 38.4 | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +5.4 per 1k/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 60.8% Dem | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 35.9% Rep | lower than 95% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 3.3% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % White | 75.7% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 10.6% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Asian | 4.4% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 1.6% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 6.2% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 997 parks | higher than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.9 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.7 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 22 min | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 2.6% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 23 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 103 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 2,413 km | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 33 km | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 60 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 72 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 22 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 28 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 7 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 65 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 157 km | higher than 90% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data