Population 6,790 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Happy Valley
Household size in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1.99 | 2.32 | 2.56 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.21 | 2.45 | 2.62 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.14 | 2.37 | 2.62 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 1.98 | 2.35 | 2.61 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.02 | +0.02 | +0.05 | −0.03 |
Households in Happy Valley are small: just 1.98 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Only one other Bellingham neighborhood has smaller households.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.2 | 36.4 | 38.0 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 24.4 | 36.3 | 38.7 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 27.8 | 36.5 | 39.3 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 28.1 | 38.6 | 39.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.0 | +2.2 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
Happy Valley is young: half of its residents are under 28.1, compared with a national median of 40.1. The population tilts toward young adults, many of them living alone or as couples. The median age has climbed from 27.2 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Few Bellingham neighborhoods are younger: only two of 13.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.3% | 8.9% | 10.9% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 5.7% | 8.9% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.4% | 7.9% | 10.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.9% | 7.6% | 10.1% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.4 pts | −1.3 pts | −0.8 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 4.9% of households in Happy Valley, well below the national share of 11.6%. Compared with other Bellingham neighborhoods, Happy Valley has a lower share of single-parent households than most.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Happy Valley
Renters in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 80.0% | 47.6% | 35.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 80.0% | 47.1% | 37.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 81.6% | 48.4% | 37.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 72.9% | 47.8% | 36.2% | 34.8% |
| Change | −7.1 pts | +0.2 pts | +1.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renters far outnumber owners in Happy Valley: 72.9% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% nationally. About half of owners (51.4%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the north; owners are most common in the southeast. Since 2006–10, the renter share has fallen 7.1 points, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.1% | 8.2% | 9.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.1% | 8.5% | 9.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.4% | 7.9% | 8.2% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 5.5% | 6.9% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Change | +0.4 pts | −1.3 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Only 5.5% of homes in Happy Valley are vacant, far below the national rate of 9.6%, which usually means strong demand for housing. Bellingham as a whole looks much the same.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1980 | 1977 | 1977 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1985 | 1977 | 1979 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1986 | 1979 | 1980 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1989 | 1983 | 1984 | 1980 |
| Change | +9 | +6 | +6 | +6 |
Much of the housing in Happy Valley is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1989, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. The median year built has moved up from 1980 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the northeast, while the center has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $745 | $852 | $1,018 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $823 | $986 | $1,127 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,055 | $1,212 | $1,390 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,592 | $1,680 | $1,875 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$846 | +$828 | +$858 | +$606 |
The median renter in Happy Valley pays $1,592 a month for rent and utilities, close to the national median of $1,571. Rents here are lower than in Bellingham as a whole ($1,680). Rent has climbed $846 a month since 2006–10, up 114%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 38.4% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Happy Valley
Bachelor's degrees in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.7% | 36.1% | 31.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 42.1% | 38.0% | 32.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.5% | 42.7% | 35.5% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 53.1% | 46.4% | 38.8% | 35.6% |
| Change | +16.4 pts | +10.3 pts | +7.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
College graduates are unusually common in Happy Valley: 53.1% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 35.6% nationally. Education tends to track local incomes and the kinds of jobs nearby. The share with a degree has risen 16.4 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 94.0% | 91.9% | 89.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 93.4% | 92.5% | 90.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 98.2% | 94.5% | 91.0% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.5% | 95.1% | 91.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.5 pts | +3.2 pts | +2.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Happy Valley: 97.5% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. The share with a diploma is up 3.5 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Happy Valley
| Period | Happy Valley | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.5% | 9.1% | 7.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 10.2% | 9.2% | 8.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.0% | 5.9% | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.2% | 5.2% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | −3.3 pts | −3.9 pts | −2.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little harder to find in Happy Valley than nationally: unemployment was 6.2%, against 5.4%. Unemployment is down 3.3 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Happy Valley compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Valley | 1.98 | 28.1 | 4.9% | 72.9% | 5.5% | 1989 | $1,592 | 53.1% | 97.5% | 6.2% |
| Western Washington University | 4.65 | 19.7 | 6.5% | 84.2% | 16.9% | 1968 | $1,618 | 46.4% | 100.0% | 17.9% |
| South Hill | 1.97 | 46.0 | 2.0% | 40.2% | 12.1% | 1971 | $1,689 | 72.1% | 96.3% | 4.3% |
| Samish Hill | 2.69 | 33.6 | 5.2% | 41.3% | 2.9% | 1996 | $1,785 | 56.0% | 97.7% | 8.3% |
| Sehome | 2.49 | 23.5 | 6.5% | 79.2% | 16.9% | 1968 | $1,541 | 46.8% | 94.5% | 10.2% |
| Puget | 2.40 | 29.7 | 4.6% | 53.6% | 5.8% | 1991 | $1,704 | 49.5% | 94.8% | 3.2% |
| York | 2.31 | 28.3 | 4.2% | 83.2% | 7.3% | 1953 | $1,506 | 49.5% | 92.8% | 16.7% |
| Lettered Streets | 2.12 | 39.3 | 11.1% | 53.2% | 2.8% | 1959 | $1,392 | 48.7% | 94.3% | 7.1% |
| Columbia | 2.32 | 41.5 | 10.2% | 35.2% | 5.9% | 1940 | $1,684 | 55.8% | 96.4% | 6.0% |
| Birchwood | 2.10 | 42.9 | 9.6% | 53.5% | 7.5% | 1976 | $1,552 | 33.9% | 97.4% | 1.3% |
| Mount Baker | 2.09 | 42.8 | 5.6% | 46.3% | 8.2% | 1996 | $1,997 | 40.1% | 94.2% | 2.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Angelo Heights, San Angelo, TX · Columbia Heights, San Antonio, TX · Westbury, Houston, TX · Century Village West, Boca Raton, FL · Cazenovia Park, Buffalo, NY · Carson Heights, Indianapolis, IN · Buffalo Charles, Detroit, MI · Briarcliffe, Glenolden, PA · Birdland Neighbors, Sunnyvale, CA · Birchwood, Bellingham, WA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Happy Valley. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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