Bellingham, WA

Bellingham's median household income was $65,821 in 2019-2023, while the city population was 94,720 in July 2023 (Census QuickFacts^[1]). Washington has no state personal income tax, but Bellingham buyers should still expect to pay Washington sales tax and Whatcom County property taxes, which are not city-published figures and therefore are not stated here. A current official city-level groceries index for Bellingham is not given here.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center is Bellingham's area hospital, and PeaceHealth describes it as the area's sole community hospital and a Level II trauma center with cardiovascular, cancer, spine, joint replacement, imaging, infusion, and rehabilitation services (PeaceHealth PDF^[2]). PeaceHealth also lists cardiology and pulmonary care locations in Bellingham, which shows that specialty access exists locally rather than requiring a long drive for every appointment (PeaceHealth heart and vascular care^[3], PeaceHealth wellness and prevention locations^[4]). Medicare’s Care Compare is the federal tool used to compare local providers and plans (Medicare Care Compare^[5]); no CMS Medicare Advantage ranking claim is made here.

NOAA climate normals for Bellingham show a mean annual precipitation of 36.1 inches and a recorded minimum temperature of -1 F in the 1961-1990 climatology for Bellingham WA (NOAA PSL climatology^[6]). NWS monthly normals for the airport area show July average high 72.1 F and average low 54.3 F, while the weather summary pages show the coldest month around December with average lows near 35 F and a warm season concentrated from roughly June through September (NWS climate plot^[7], WeatherSpark annual weather^[8]). In practical retirement terms, the outdoor comfort window is strongest from late spring through early fall, with much less winter warmth than inland sunbelt markets.

Bellingham-specific violent or property crime rates, or a 3-year trend, are not given here. A confirmed city-level law enforcement reporting status for Bellingham is not given here.

Bellingham’s city-level median listing price is about $674K and homes are spending about 44 days on market, while the broader county market is around $665K to $667K with roughly 43 to 48 days on market (Realtor.com^[9], Realtor.com^[10]). The Bellingham metro FHFA House Price Index was up 0.49% year over year in 2026 Q2, confirming that values are still edging higher at the metro level rather than showing a broad pullback (FHFA^[11]). Active-adult options do exist, including a 55+ community in Cordata, which suggests some retiree-oriented supply even though most for-sale inventory is standard single-family housing (Vintage at Bellingham^[12]).

Bellingham International Airport is the nearest commercial airport and is about 6 kilometers from the city center, according to the annual weather reference tied to the airport location (timeanddate airport climate page^[13]). Bellingham is identified as having Bellingham International Airport (Wikipedia excerpt, geography-only confirmation^[14]). A federal route map or current nonstop network source for Bellingham is not given here.

Bellingham and nearby Whatcom County sit in a region that combines mild summer temperatures with easy access to water, mountains, and hiking, which is a strong fit for an active retiree (Bellingham weather overview^[15], NOAA climatology^[6]). The exact number of public courses within 30 minutes of Bellingham is not given here. Club-by-club fee data for Bellingham golf courses are not given here.

Census QuickFacts shows Bellingham's population at 94,720 in July 2023 and that 16.5% of residents were 65 years and over (Census QuickFacts^[1]). Census Reporter shows a median age of 33.6 and a population density of about 3,400 people per square mile, which helps explain why the city feels more energetic and college-adjacent than many retirement-only markets (Census Reporter profile^[16]). The same profile gives median household income of $74,220, which supports a comfortable but not luxury-only local economy (Census Reporter profile^[16]).

FEMA’s National Risk Index is county-level, so Bellingham is covered by Whatcom County rather than the city itself; the county’s NRI page is not given here, so the composite score and county hazard rankings are not given here. The only official wildfire-related source here is a Drought.gov page for ZIP 98225 showing precipitation at 0% to 25% of historical average for the cited date range, which points to elevated late-season dryness risk rather than a direct AQI statistic (Drought.gov 98225^[17]). EPA/AirNow annual good-air-day data for Bellingham are not given here.