What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Whatcom Falls?
Whatcom Falls is ranked #3 of 19 eligible neighborhoods in Bellingham; #128 of 533 eligible neighborhoods in WA; and #5,477 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Whatcom Falls
Bellingham, WA | Whatcom County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
55.8
Stability and Strength
67.8
Value Opportunity
54.0
Momentum
39.0
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Bellingham, WA |
| County | Whatcom County |
| National rank | #5,477 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #128 of 533 |
| City rank | #3 of 19 |
| County rank | #3 of 19 |
| National percentile | 63.4 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $789,050 |
| Year-over-year home value change | -0.3% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.10% |
| Home value to income ratio | 8.15 |
| Median household income | $96,780 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58.1% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 1.6% |
| Homeownership rate | 70.5% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 3.4% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 64.0% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in Whatcom Falls
Is Whatcom Falls one of the best neighborhoods in Bellingham?
Whatcom Falls has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 55.8 and a city ranking of #3 of 19 eligible neighborhoods in Bellingham.
How much are homes worth in Whatcom Falls?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Whatcom Falls is approximately $789,050.
Are home values rising or falling in Whatcom Falls?
Zillow neighborhood values changed -0.3% year over year and -0.10% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Whatcom Falls?
Whatcom Falls has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 39.0. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Whatcom Falls?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $96,780.
How affordable is Whatcom Falls relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 8.15. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Whatcom Falls primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 70.5%.
What is the unemployment rate in Whatcom Falls?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 1.6%.
How educated are residents of Whatcom Falls?
Approximately 58.1% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Whatcom Falls face high rent burden?
Approximately 64.0% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score Whatcom Falls?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications70
Estimated originations46
Home-purchase applications28
Origination rate66.2%
Home-purchase share40.1%
Average application loan$458,291
Total application loan amount$32,162,050
National application rank#5,807 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 25.4% YoY; originations 18.1% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.