County profile
Whatcom County, WA
United States · GDP 2024
#251 of 3,127 US counties by GDPbottom-quartile growthmore diversified than 95% of counties
EA Place Score
——methodology in progress
GDP 2024 (USD)
$20.6B
BEA · 2024
GDP growth (YoY)
+0.3%
BEA · 2024
Jobs tracked
80,648
Census CBP · 2023
Employers
7,146
Census CBP · 2023
Avg. wage
$62.0k
BLS QCEW · 2023
Population
236,392
Census PEP · 2025
Labor, income & education
Unemployment
4.1%
Median HH income
$81.8k±$2.7k
Bachelor's degree+
39.3%±1.2%
Poverty rate
12.9%±1.2%
Business applications
3,825 · 2025
Retail establishments
793
33.8/10k pop
Public companies headquartered here
SEC EDGAR · FMPCompanySectorRevenueEA
1eXp World Holdings, Inc. Common StockReal Estate$4.8B48D2Pengram CorporationBasic Materials$0——3PayChest, Inc.Consumer Defensive$0——4Terrace Ventures Inc.Basic Materials$0——53DX Industries, Inc.Industrials$0——6Hollund Industrial Marine, Inc.Industrials———7Peoples BancorpFinancial Services———8Black Rock Petroleum CompanyEnergy———9Homestead Gold and Silver LtdCommunication Services———HQ-based placement with total (global) headcount — local employment attribution needs firmographic data; the industry mix at right is measured county data (CBP).
Industry mix · employment
Health care21%
Retail trade20%
Construction17%
Food & accommodation17%
Manufacturing17%
Other services7%
share of top-6 sector employment · CBP 2023
Population & migration
Census PEP · 2020–2025
236,392
residents · 2025 · +3.9% since 2020
Income per capita $65.6k · BEA 2024
COMPONENTS OF CHANGE · 2021–2025
Domestic migration+6,228
International migration+2,706
Natural change−344
GDP trend
2019–2024 · nominal
$14.3B2019
$14.1B2020
$17.2B2021
$20.0B2022
$20.6B2023
$20.6B2024
Real estate & risk
FHFA · ACS · FEMA
Median home value
$585.8k±$9.5k
Median gross rent
$1.6k/mo±$39/mo
Vacancy rate
9.2%±0.7%
Affordability
9.5× wages
Residential permits
$281.1M
1,214 units · 5.1/1k pop
FEMA risk score
91.0
HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR):$1.8k/mo · 2026
TOP PERILS · FEMA NRI
Avalanche 98Earthquake 98Landslide 98
FHFA HOUSE PRICE INDEX · 2016–2025
9312016
10352017
11332018
12172019
12752020
14622021
17252022
17422023
18722024
19112025
RESIDENTIAL PERMITS · 2021–2025
↓ -35% since 20211,8712021
1,6142022
8942023
1,1902024
1,2142025
Transport access
BTS · FAA · USACE
Nearest interstate
50.9 km
I-5
Nearest freight rail
34.6 km
BNSF
Nearest port
56.5 km
CITY OF BELLINGHAM, WHATCOM CREEK WATERWAY WHARF
Nearest commercial airport
59.8 km
BELLINGHAM INTL
Filing activity
SEC EDGAR7 filings from 2 companies here in the last 90 days.
Wage trend
BLS QCEW · 2019–2023$62.0k
avg. annual pay · +25% since 2019
Similar US counties
nearest by GDPNearby & same-state counties
by GDP rankThe read
What is the GDP of Whatcom?
Whatcom's economy produced $20.6B in 2024, growing 0.3% year over year — slower than 79% of US counties. Its largest employment sector is health care.
GDP: BEA (2024), USD-normalized · Jobs/employers/wages & industry mix: Census CBP (2023) · Population & migration: Census PEP · Income: BEA CAINC1 · Companies: SEC EDGAR + FMP, by HQ.