98229 ZIP Code — Bellingham, WA

Whatcom County, Washington

ZIP code 98229 is located in Bellingham, Washington, within Whatcom County. It covers approximately 50.17 square miles and serves a population of 34,157 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Pacific (PT) timezone, served by area code 360/564.

About ZIP code 98229

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $505,500. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 71%.

The gap between median ($87,946) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. 32% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 22 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is high — 50% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national average of 33%.

34,157

population

50.17

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Pacific (PT)

timezone

98229 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 98229

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 98229. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Bellingham	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

98225 Bellingham (6.7 mi) 98226 Bellingham (7.6 mi) 98232 Bow (8.5 mi) 98220 Acme (9.8 mi) 98233 Burlington (10.8 mi) 98262 Lummi Island (11.7 mi) 98247 Everson (15.3 mi) 98248 Ferndale (15.4 mi) 98221 Anacortes (16.9 mi) 98244 Deming (16.9 mi) 98264 Lynden (17 mi) 98276 Nooksack (17.2 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	34,157
Population density	681 / sq mi
State FIPS	53
County FIPS	073

Geography
Land area	50.17 sq mi
Water area	5.01 sq mi
Latitude	48.6863
Longitude	-122.4088
Timezone	Pacific (PT)
Area code	360/564

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 06/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	31.6%	37.7%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	33.2%	33.5%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	27.2%	23.7%	27.1%
Over $200k	7.9%	5.1%	10.6%

Demographics & statistics

34,157

Population

681

People per sq mi

39.6

Median age

$87,946

Median household income

$46,105

Per capita income

$505,500

Median home value

$1,450

Median monthly rent

71.0%

Home ownership

9.0%

Poverty rate

4.4%

Unemployment

10,411

Housing units

49.9%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

644

Under 5

677

906

5–9

952

990

10–14

1,039

1,238

15–19

1,300

1,242

20–24

1,304

2,308

25–34

2,425

2,366

35–44

2,486

1,740

45–54

1,827

838

55–59

880

1,150

60–64

1,209

2,158

65–74

2,266

853

75–84

896

226

85+

237

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	6,661	19.5%
18 and over	27,496	80.5%
65 and over	6,636	19.4%
Median age	39.6 years

Race & ethnicity

White 74.7%

Two or more races 9.9%

Hispanic or Latino 7.8%

Other race 3.2%

Asian 2.7%

Black or African American 0.8%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	27,651	74.7%
Two or more races	3,671	9.9%
Hispanic or Latino	2,877	7.8%
Other race	1,189	3.2%
Asian	1,015	2.7%
Black or African American	301	0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	301	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	29	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	31.6%	37.7%	31.7%
$50k – $100k	33.2%	33.5%	30.6%
$100k – $200k	27.2%	23.7%	27.1%
Over $200k	7.9%	5.1%	10.6%

Under $10k 3.2%

$10k–$15k 2.6%

$15k–$25k 3.8%

$25k–$35k 5.4%

$35k–$50k 13.0%

$50k–$75k 13.5%

$75k–$100k 15.3%

$100k–$150k 17.6%

$150k–$200k 13.3%

$200k+ 12.3%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	3.2%
$10k–$15k	2.6%
$15k–$25k	3.8%
$25k–$35k	5.4%
$35k–$50k	13.0%
$50k–$75k	13.5%
$75k–$100k	15.3%
$100k–$150k	17.6%
$150k–$200k	13.3%
$200k+	12.3%
Median income	$87,946

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 2.7%

$50k–$100k 2.6%

$100k–$150k 1.1%

$150k–$200k 0.3%

$200k–$300k 9.6%

$300k–$500k 33.1%

$500k–$1M 40.3%

$1M+ 10.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$505,500
Median rent / month	$1,450
Owner occupied	71.0%
Renter occupied	29.0%
Vacant	5.7%
Single-family detached	69.3%
Large apartment buildings	5.9%
Mobile homes	5.5%
Median rooms	5.9
Avg household size (owned)	2.53

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.3%
2010–2019	7.2%
2000–2009	17.4%
1990–1999	19.1%
1980–1989	11.7%
1970–1979	25.7%
1960–1969	6.9%
1950–1959	4.3%
1940–1949	3.0%
1939 or earlier	4.3%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.2%
1 bedroom	5.8%
2 bedrooms	25.0%
3 bedrooms	42.3%
4 bedrooms	20.3%
5+ bedrooms	4.3%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	3.4%
1 vehicle	24.3%
2 vehicles	44.7%
3 or more	27.5%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	41.6%
Electricity	41.3%
Propane / LP gas	12.1%
Fuel oil	0.6%
Wood	3.0%
Solar	0.4%
No fuel used	0.4%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	7,436	55.0%
Cohabiting couple	1,059	7.8%
Male householder, no spouse	1,924	14.2%
Female householder, no spouse	3,106	23.0%
Households with children under 18	3,791	28.0%
Households with seniors (65+)	4,443	32.9%
Average household size	2.51

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	34.2%	31.0%
Married	55.4%	51.3%
Separated	0.8%	1.0%
Widowed	1.7%	6.4%
Divorced	7.9%	10.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 1.9%

Some HS, no diploma 4.1%

HS graduate 13.7%

Some college, no degree 20.4%

Associate's degree 10.0%

Bachelor's degree 28.2%

Graduate / professional 21.7%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	94.1%
Bachelor's or higher	49.9%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	300	3.5%
Kindergarten	394	4.6%
Elementary school	3,009	35.4%
High school	1,933	22.7%
College / grad school	2,876	33.8%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 24.9%

Professional & management 14.1%

Arts, food & hospitality 10.5%

Retail trade 9.4%

Manufacturing 8.9%

Other services 6.8%

Construction 6.5%

Finance & real estate 5.2%

Public administration 5.1%

Transportation & utilities 3.0%

Wholesale trade 2.1%

Agriculture & mining 2.0%

Information 1.4%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	48.4%
Service	16.6%
Sales & office	19.7%
Natural resources & construction	6.9%
Production & transportation	8.4%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	73.5%
Government	19.1%
Self-employed	7.3%
Unpaid family workers	0.1%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	71.4%
Carpool	8.2%
Public transit	1.2%
Walk	1.1%
Work from home	14.5%
Other means	3.6%
Avg commute (minutes)	21.9

Poverty

All people 9.0%

Under 18 years 5.5%

18 and over 9.9%

Married-couple families 1.9%

Female-led households 19.4%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	31.9%
Retirement income	26.2%
Supplemental Security	4.1%
Cash public assistance	3.0%
Food stamps / SNAP	6.8%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	26.9%
High blood pressure	27.9%
High cholesterol	30.7%
Diabetes	7.9%
Heart disease	5.3%
Stroke	2.5%
Asthma	10.6%
Arthritis	23.3%
Kidney disease	2.6%
Pulmonary disease	5.2%
Cancer	6.5%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	13.3%
Binge drinking	19.8%
No physical activity	14.2%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	27.2%
Depression	27.3%
Fair or poor health	11.0%
Poor mental health	14.7%
Poor physical health	9.2%
No health insurance	8.7%
Visited doctor (checkup)	68.8%
Visited dentist	71.0%
Cholesterol screening	87.6%
Teeth loss	8.5%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,663	6.1%

Disability	%
Any disability	11.8%
Under 18	5.6%
18–64 years	9.0%
65 and over	27.0%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	73.4%
Public insurance	37.4%
No insurance	4.3%
Uninsured under 19	1.5%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	32,836	96.1%
Spanish	1,170	3.6%
Other Indo-European	938	2.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander	36	0.1%
Other languages	196	0.6%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	31,471	92.1%
Born in same state	30,750	90.0%
Born in different state	16,188	47.4%
Foreign born	721	2.1%
Naturalized citizen	2,686	7.9%
Not a US citizen	1,203	44.8%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
French	4,748	13.9%
Italian	4,143	12.1%
Polish	2,027	5.9%
Arab	1,044	3.1%
English	972	2.8%

Ancestry	Count	%
German	338	1%
Dutch	271	0.8%
Irish	200	0.6%
Norwegian	29	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	39.6%
Internet access	98.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 98229

What city is ZIP code 98229 in?

ZIP code 98229 is primarily assigned to Bellingham, Washington.

What county is ZIP code 98229 in?

ZIP code 98229 falls within Whatcom County, Washington.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 98229?

50% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — well above the national average of ~33%, reflecting a highly educated population.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 98229?

The median home value in ZIP code 98229 is $505,500.

What is the population of ZIP code 98229?

ZIP code 98229 has an estimated population of 34,157 residents, with a density of 681 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 98229?

The median household income in ZIP code 98229 is $87,946, above the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 98229 in?

ZIP code 98229 observes the PST timezone.