• county
  • FIPS 53073
  • Largest town: Bellingham

Whatcom County, Washington

Whatcom County had 234,954 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,108.0 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 39 in Washington by population and 12th by land area.

Population
234,954
#9 of 39 in Washington · #306 in US
Area
2,108.0 sq mi
#12 of 39 in Washington · #267 in US
Density
111 / sq mi
#10 of 39 in Washington · #842 in US
Median household income
$75,920
#14 of 39 in Washington · #627 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Whatcom County within Washington. Pin: Olympia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Whatcom County

Whatcom County population, land area and income

Whatcom County had 234,954 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,108.0 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 39 in Washington by population and 12th by land area. That works out to 111.5 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Washington has 69,632 residents, so Whatcom County is 3.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $75,920 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

234,954

3144th1st

306th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

2,108 sq mi

3144th1st

267th of 3,144 (US)

Density

111.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

842nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$75,920

3143rd1st

627th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Washington (39)

Population

234,954

39th1st

9th of 39 (WA)

Land area

2,108 sq mi

39th1st

12th of 39 (WA)

Density

111.5 / sq mi

39th1st

10th of 39 (WA)

Median household income

$75,920

39th1st

14th of 39 (WA)

How Whatcom County's population changed since 2020

Whatcom County gained 7,503 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.3%. That ranks 19th of 39 in Washington for growth. The median Washington county changed by +3.2%, and the state as a whole by +3.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Whatcom County recorded 8,392 births and 8,627 deaths, a natural change of -235. Net international migration added +2,579 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +5,390. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 5,390 people.

227.5k2020226.7k2021230.7k2022232.7k2023235.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
8,392
Deaths
8,627
Net international migration
+2,579
Net domestic migration
+5,390
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,268

Where Whatcom County is

The Census internal point of Whatcom County is at 48.842700, -121.836400. It sits in UTM zone 10N. The map shades Washington's 39 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Whatcom County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

King County: +2.9%Thurston County: +2.3%Garfield County: +4.7%Adams County: +2.1%Kitsap County: +2.0%Mason County: +5.5%Stevens County: +5.2%Walla Walla County: -0.9%Whitman County: +1.2%Pierce County: +1.9%Benton County: +5.2%Columbia County: +1.8%Skamania County: +5.1%Douglas County: +6.4%Kittitas County: +2.9%Klickitat County: +5.7%Pacific County: +3.2%Grant County: +5.3%Grays Harbor County: +2.7%Jefferson County: +2.7%Lincoln County: +8.6%San Juan County: +4.7%Skagit County: +2.2%Island County: -0.6%Ferry County: +4.8%Chelan County: +2.4%Clark County: +4.3%Asotin County: +0.9%Franklin County: +4.2%Whatcom County: +3.3%Snohomish County: +4.1%Pend Oreille County: +6.1%Yakima County: +0.7%Clallam County: +0.8%Wahkiakum County: +7.9%Spokane County: +2.7%Okanogan County: +6.6%Cowlitz County: +2.7%Lewis County: +5.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +2.7%
  3. < +4.2%
  4. < +5.3%
  5. ≥ +5.3%
no data

Orange pin: Whatcom County internal point. Dark pin: Olympia.

Internal point

Decimal
48.842700, -121.836400
DMS
48°50'33.72"N 121°50'11.04"W
UTM
10N 585375.6E 5410622.5N
Geohash
c29mge93q
Plus code
84WWR5V7+3C

Towns in Whatcom County

7 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Whatcom County, 142,247 people together, or 61% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Whatcom County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Bellingham with 95,860.

  1. 01Bellingham95,860
  2. 02Lynden16,783
  3. 03Ferndale16,706
  4. 04Blaine6,371
  5. 05Everson3,169
  6. 06Sumas1,683
  7. 07Nooksack1,675
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Whatcom County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for Whatcom County. The most populous is Skagit County, WA, with 132,736 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Olympia and the nearest big city

Olympia is 134.2 miles SSW of Whatcom County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Everett, WA (population 113,011), 62.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lynden, WA (population 16,783), 29.1 miles away.

Whatcom County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Whatcom County is 53073: state code 53 for Washington plus county code 073. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $75,920.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Whatcom County, Washington?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 234,954. That is up 7,503 people (3.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 227,451.

What is the FIPS code of Whatcom County?

53073. The first two digits (53) are Washington; the last three (073) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Whatcom County?

Bellingham, with 95,860 residents inside Whatcom County in 2024.

Which counties border Whatcom County?

3 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Skagit County, WA; Okanogan County, WA; San Juan County, WA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.