Whatcom County · Washington · West · 93k residents
Bellingham, WA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Bellingham: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Washington median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,334/wk. Washington's corporate income tax rate is 0%. Commercial electricity averages 10.0¢/kWh.
Compare Bellingham side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,334/wk
Corporate income tax
0%
Bachelor's degree or higher
48.5%
Commercial electricity
10.0¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Bellingham's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
65/100
Steady
Ranks Bellingham's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $627,500 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $350 |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,339/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,685/mo |
| State & local income tax | 0% |
| Sales tax | 9.4% |
| Corporate income tax | 0% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,334/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.0¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 31.8/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $128,250 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $124,200 |
| Wage: General manager | $125,840 |
| Wage: Customer service | $46,940 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $41,750 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $61,890 |
| Wage: Electrician | $97,590 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $37,840 |
| Cost of living index | 124 |
| Groceries index | 106 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $99/mo |
| Gas price | $4.10/gal |
| Healthcare index | 104 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,500/mo |
| Median household income | $66,755 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% |
| Population | 93k |
| Crime index | 50/100 |
| School rating | 6.5/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 91/100 |
| Avg. commute | 28 min |
| Sunny days / year | 155 days |
| July high | 75°F |
| January low | 35°F |
| Annual snowfall | 3 in |
| Home price YoY | -0.1% |
| Home price MoM | -0.5% |
| Rent YoY | +0.8% |
| Rent MoM | -0.1% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +0.5% |
| Building permits YoY | +37.8% |
| Ocean coast | < 3 mi |
| Big lake | 273 mi |
| Mountains | 31 mi |
| Major airport | 90 mi |
| Ski resort | 38 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Ferndale, WA · 16k
- Lynden, WA · 16k
- Anacortes, WA · 18k
- Mount Vernon, WA · 35k
- Oak Harbor, WA · 24k
Similar size
- Kirkland, WA · 93k
- Yakima, WA · 97k
- Federal Way, WA · 99k
- Auburn, WA · 86k
- Kennewick, WA · 85k
Real listings in Bellingham
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Bellingham a good place to run a business?
- Washington's corporate income tax rate is 0%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,334/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.0¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Bellingham, WA?
- Bellingham indexes at 124 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,685/mo and a acs median home value of $627,500.
- How much does a house cost in Bellingham?
- The acs median home value in Bellingham is $627,500 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Bellingham?
- A two-bedroom in Bellingham rents for about $1,685/mo.