Real estate · County · Washington
Real estate agents and brokers in Whatcom County, WA
The real estate agents and brokers in Whatcom County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,703 of 2,176 scored counties
#33 of 35 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 376
- 12 chain locations (3%)
- Official establishments
- 251
- +37.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $18,166 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 83
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.0
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 236,392
- +3.9% since 2020
See the real estate agents and brokers around any address in Whatcom County
The site report maps the real estate agents and brokers on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Whatcom County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
For real estate agents and brokers, Whatcom County has a Groundwork market score of 38 (lower middle): #1,703 of 2,176 scored counties and #33 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Whatcom County comes to about $1.7B a year: $18,166 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 17% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate agents and brokers take in.
There are 376 real estate agents and brokers on map listings in Whatcom County as of September 2026. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 3%, against 4% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 40.0, 31% above the U.S. rate of 30.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 251 businesses with payroll in Whatcom County classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers, up 37.9% from 2019. That is one for every 375 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $504K has gone to businesses classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in Whatcom County. Population estimates show Whatcom County grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Whatcom County compares
The same measures for Washington and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Whatcom County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.0 | 32.3 | 30.6 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 83 | 112 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 375 | 541 | 788 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +37.9% | +26.5% | +20.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $18,166 | $19,779 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $81,784 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 182 → 251+37.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,757
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $129.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 37612 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 313The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $504K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in Whatcom County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Whatcom County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 236,392+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,021
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,108 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $81,784+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,611
- Median home value
- $585,800
- Jobs located here
- 90,570
- Daytime population
- 221,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whatcom County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate agents and brokers on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Whatcom County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate agents and brokers across Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for real estate agents and brokers, numbered among those based in Washington, with Whatcom County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, WA | 86 | 6 | 12.4 | 250 | +9.7% | #5 of 2,176 |
| 2Douglas County, WA | 80 | 11 | 6.9 | 489 | +8.0% | #19 of 2,176 |
| 3Asotin County, WA | 79 | 8 | 8.4 | 378 | +1.0% | #37 of 2,176 |
| 4Skamania County, WA | 79 | 7 | 13.9 | 248 | +5.2% | #41 of 2,176 |
| 5Franklin County, WA | 77 | 23 | 7.7 | 441 | +5.6% | #58 of 2,176 |
| 6Klickitat County, WA | 75 | 13 | 13.2 | 243 | +6.6% | #86 of 2,176 |
| 7Stevens County, WA | 70 | 33 | 17.0 | 183 | +6.6% | #220 of 2,176 |
| 8Pacific County, WA | 65 | 17 | 15.5 | 198 | +3.6% | #357 of 2,176 |
| 9Yakima County, WA | 65 | 139 | 15.8 | 194 | +1.0% | #359 of 2,176 |
| 10Grant County, WA | 65 | 60 | 17.0 | 184 | +6.3% | #362 of 2,176 |
| 33Whatcom County, WA | 38 | 376 | 40.0 | 83 | +3.9% | #1,703 of 2,176 |
Other business types in Whatcom County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
- Real estate38
- Real estate agents and brokers38
- Property management59
- Mortgage brokers and lenders48
- Home inspectors65
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate agents and brokers are in Whatcom County, WA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 376 real estate agents and brokers in Whatcom County. 12 of them (3%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokerages, commercial brokers included. Official counts show 251 businesses with payroll classed as offices of real estate agents and brokers in 2023, up 37.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Whatcom County, WA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $1.7B a year, or $18,166 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 376 real estate agents and brokers on map listings, housing spending per office is 17% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate agents and brokers take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 94,021 households in Whatcom County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whatcom County, WA compare with the U.S. for real estate agents and brokers?
Whatcom County has 40.0 real estate agents and brokers per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 30.6. The index of housing spending per office is 83, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate agents and brokers to household spending, Whatcom County would have about 313, against 376 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 375 households, against one for every 788 across the U.S. The official count rose 37.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +20.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Whatcom County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Whatcom County at 236,392 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 94,021 households. Median household income in Whatcom County is $81,784, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.9%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Whatcom County scores 38 for real estate agents and brokers (lower middle), #1,703 of 2,176 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whatcom County. It maps the real estate agents and brokers on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate agents and brokers · All 56 business types in Whatcom County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whatcom County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Whatcom County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.