ZIP Code 98229 — Bellingham city, WA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 98229 covers Bellingham, WA in Whatcom County with a population of about 33,919.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 38.2 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area codes 360, 564; U.S. House district WA-2; the SEATTLE - TACOMA media market.

Median household income in ZIP 98229 is about $90,068 — about 20% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 9.1%; unemployment rate near 4.9%; 50.8% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 17.1 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Education, and Professional services; about 15.5% of workers reporting work-from-home (roughly in line with the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $564,700 — about 62% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,394 (about 20% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 70.0% (about 4.6 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 98229 in Bellingham, WA, a household would need roughly $155,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $3,627. That is about 72% above the local median household income ($90,068), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Bellingham city, WA as Relatively Moderate (composite score 91.0), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (88.9) and wildfire (61.7). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Bellingham city, WA show little to no average snow and around 36.0 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,822 for ZIP 98229 (Bellingham city, WA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.