Whatcom County GIS Maps
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Whatcom County, Washington, has 226,847 residents across 116,368 parcels and covers 2,107.9 square miles. The population grew 12.8% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents moved in than left over that decade. The FIPS code for Whatcom County is 53073.
Bellingham is the county's largest population center. Whatcom County also includes 16 zip codes, 9 public school districts and 14 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show parcel data, population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers, Parcels and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Whatcom County Trends
- Population
- 226,847▴
- Median Home Value
- $536,100▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 32,357▴
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Whatcom County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Whatcom County Parcels
Whatcom County has 116,368 mapped parcels covering 524,642 acres. The median assessed value is $510,230. Site addresses reach 96.7%. Assessed values reach 96.3%. Browse the interactive Whatcom County Parcel viewer here.
Whatcom County Parcel Data Coverage
| Field | Parcels | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel ID | 116,368 | 100% |
| Owner name | 0 | 0% |
| Owner mailing address | 0 | 0% |
| Site address | 112,471 | 96.7% |
| Land use code | 116,001 | 99.7% |
| Land use description | 0 | 0% |
| Assessed value | 112,046 | 96.3% |
| Land value | 115,999 | 99.7% |
| Improvement value | 115,999 | 99.7% |
| Acreage | 0 | 0% |
| Parcel boundary | 116,368 | 100% |
| Download all Whatcom County parcels. | ||
Field coverage measured across all Whatcom County parcel records.
Whatcom County Population
Whatcom County had 226,847 residents in 2020. That was 12.8% higher than in 2010. Whatcom County added 60,033 people between 2000 and 2020, which points to steady long-term growth. The county is fairly spread out, with about 108 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Bellingham, Bellingham and Bellingham.
Population Trend in Whatcom County WA
Whatcom County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Whatcom County Zip Codes
Whatcom County has 16 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Bellingham (98225), Bellingham (98226) and Bellingham (98229). Bellingham is the largest zip by population, with about 49,078 residents or 22% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 57% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Whatcom County WA
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98225 | Bellingham | 49,078 | ▴ 6.3% |
| 98226 | Bellingham | 47,011 | ▴ 14% |
| 98229 | Bellingham | 33,664 | ▴ 11% |
| 98248 | Ferndale | 26,784 | ▴ 19.8% |
| 98264 | Lynden | 23,170 | ▴ 22.6% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Whatcom County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Whatcom County Demographics
Whatcom County has a median age of 38.2, which is close to the Washington average. About 18.9% of residents are under 18, while 18.5% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 32.1% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 38.1% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 38.8%. The county is majority White by population, with Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents making up a meaningful share of the local mix.
Key Demographics for Whatcom County WA
Median Age
38.2
Under 18
18.9%
Age 65+
18.5%
Bachelor's+
38.1%
Whatcom County School Districts
Whatcom County is served by 9 public school districts with 32,357 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are Bellingham, Ferndale and Sedro-Woolley. Those three districts account for about 64% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has stayed fairly steady in recent years, based on district totals from 2017 to 2024.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Whatcom County WA
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham School District | 11,337 | 35% | ▾ -1.3% |
| Ferndale School District | 4,746 | 14.7% | ▴ 2.2% |
| Sedro-Woolley School District | 4,600 | 14.2% | ▴ 1.3% |
| Lynden School District | 3,646 | 11.3% | ▴ 2.6% |
| Nooksack Valley School District | 2,033 | 6.3% | ▴ 4.5% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Whatcom County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Whatcom County Housing & Real Estate
Whatcom County has a median home value of $536,100 and a median gross rent of $1,465. About 64% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Washington median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $649,000 and homes spent about 45 days on the market.
Whatcom County Housing Mix
Whatcom County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Whatcom County Housing Trends
Whatcom County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Whatcom County, WA
Whatcom County has 10,138 business listings across 887 categories. The largest categories in Whatcom County business listings are Real Estate Agents (272, 2.7%), Churches & Religious Organizations (174, 1.7%), and Parks & Recreation (166, 1.6%). The full Whatcom County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Whatcom County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Whatcom County, WA
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Agents | 272 | 2.7% |
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 174 | 1.7% |
| Parks & Recreation | 166 | 1.6% |
| Contractors | 155 | 1.5% |
| Community & Nonprofits | 133 | 1.3% |
| Gas Stations | 128 | 1.3% |
| Auto Repair | 128 | 1.3% |
| Coffee Shops | 120 | 1.2% |
| Farm | 116 | 1.1% |
| Landmark And Historical Building | 106 | 1.0% |
Whatcom County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| Reco Branding Solutions | 3D Printing Service | Lynden |
| Bridges Treatment and Recovery | Abuse And Addiction Treatment | Ferndale |
| Associated Students Bookstore | Academic Bookstore | Bellingham |
| Vitality Bowls | Acai Bowls | Bellingham |
| VI At Homestead Resort | Accommodation | Lynden |
| Adjusted Accounting LLC | Accountant | Blaine |
| Swell Watercraft | Active Life | Bellingham |
| Bellingham Community Acupuncture | Acupuncture | Bellingham |
| Brittany Lawler | Addiction Rehabilitation Center | Bellingham |
| Children's House International | Adoption Services | Lynden |
| Download Whatcom County business listings | ||
Whatcom County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Whatcom County Basemaps
Whatcom County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Whatcom County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Whatcom County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for parcels, zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Whatcom County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.