The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Whatcom County, WA
Whatcom County is home to 230,500 residents and includes Bellingham and Lynden · Updated November 2026
Is Whatcom County, WA safe?
Yes, crime in Whatcom County is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Whatcom County sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 55% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A against A-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Whatcom County run from A+ to C, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 860 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
55% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Whatcom County as a whole, and 45% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Whatcom County scores 860.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Whatcom County, WA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Whatcom County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Whatcom County
Burglary stands out among A-graded counties. For the typical resident of an A-graded US county, the figure is 1.4 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents; Whatcom County has 3.2.
Vehicle theft is a strength. Whatcom County grades A- for property crime, but vehicle theft grades A+, better than in the neighborhoods where 64% of Americans live.
The safest and most dangerous places in Whatcom County
Most of Whatcom County grades well: 95% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Grades across Whatcom County run from A+ to C; 61% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
95%
A or B 95%C 5%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Cities and towns in Whatcom County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Across the county, the east side has the least crime and the Bellingham area the most.
Crime rates and types in Whatcom County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Whatcom County has about 39 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole and close to Washington.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft makes up about 43% of crime reported in Whatcom County. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Whatcom County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Whatcom County, 2022 to 2024.
In Whatcom County, 44% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often in parking lots and garages: 36% of them, against 31% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (44%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (35%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (36%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (32%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (54%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (39%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Whatcom County compares with nearby counties
Whatcom County has more crime than 6 of its 10 nearest counties. San Juan County and Jefferson County have the least crime nearby.
Transit, night lighting and walkability in Whatcom County
One thing sets Whatcom County apart: it has 4.7% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report less burglary and arson, yet burglary and arson run higher here than that would suggest.
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Whatcom County: D (18 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.62% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 76% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 79% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (17 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 51% of Americans
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.4.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 74% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.39 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 63% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.10.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 60% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Whatcom County
Crime costs Whatcom County about $883 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 27% less than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $80 million a year.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $187 million a year, or $810 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$6.5 million
$28
Rape
$3.9 million
$17
Robbery
$2.6 million
$11
Assault
$20 million
$86
Burglary
$6.6 million
$29
Theft
$20 million
$85
Vehicle theft
$3.6 million
$15
Arson
$480,000
$2
Vandalism
$17 million
$72
Total
$80 million
$345
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Whatcom County means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Whatcom County, WA average a SchoolGrade of C+: 47% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Whatcom County on SchoolGrade
