Population 4,310 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Lettered Streets
Household size in Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.13 | 2.32 | 2.56 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.04 | 2.45 | 2.62 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.20 | 2.37 | 2.62 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.12 | 2.35 | 2.61 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.01 | +0.02 | +0.05 | −0.03 |
Households in Lettered Streets are small: just 2.12 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.
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 Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.5 | 36.4 | 38.0 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 34.1 | 36.3 | 38.7 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 32.4 | 36.5 | 39.3 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.3 | 38.6 | 39.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | +4.8 | +2.2 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
At 39.3, the median age in Lettered Streets is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 34.5, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
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 Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.1% | 8.9% | 10.9% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.8% | 8.9% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.8% | 7.9% | 10.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 7.6% | 10.1% | 11.6% |
| Change | −3.0 pts | −1.3 pts | −0.8 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in Lettered Streets as they are nationally: 11.1%, against 11.6%. Single parents are more common here than in Bellingham as a whole (7.6%). Only one other Bellingham neighborhood has a higher share of single-parent households.
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 Lettered Streets
Renters in Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 51.6% | 47.6% | 35.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 53.8% | 47.1% | 37.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 60.6% | 48.4% | 37.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 53.2% | 47.8% | 36.2% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | +0.2 pts | +1.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Lettered Streets rent: 53.2% of occupied homes are rented, far above the national share of 34.8%. Expect more apartments, and more turnover, than in owner-heavy areas. Among homeowners, 17.2% have no mortgage at all, well below the national share of 39.8%.
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 Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.8% | 8.2% | 9.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.6% | 8.5% | 9.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.9% | 7.9% | 8.2% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 2.8% | 6.9% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Change | −13.0 pts | −1.3 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in Lettered Streets: just 2.8% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market. Lettered Streets has the lowest vacancy rate of any Bellingham neighborhood.
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 Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1945 | 1977 | 1977 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1945 | 1977 | 1979 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1950 | 1979 | 1980 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1959 | 1983 | 1984 | 1980 |
| Change | +14 | +6 | +6 | +6 |
Lettered Streets is a place of older homes: half were built before 1959, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Few Bellingham neighborhoods have older homes: only two of 13.
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 Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $733 | $852 | $1,018 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $789 | $986 | $1,127 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,032 | $1,212 | $1,390 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,392 | $1,680 | $1,875 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$659 | +$828 | +$858 | +$606 |
The median renter in Lettered Streets pays $1,392 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 33.5% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched. Lettered Streets has the lowest rents of any Bellingham neighborhood.
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 Lettered Streets
Bachelor's degrees in Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.1% | 36.1% | 31.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 48.0% | 38.0% | 32.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 46.6% | 42.7% | 35.5% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 48.7% | 46.4% | 38.8% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.6 pts | +10.3 pts | +7.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
College graduates are unusually common in Lettered Streets: 48.7% 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 picture is much the same across Bellingham.
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 Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 93.8% | 91.9% | 89.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 97.2% | 92.5% | 90.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 92.6% | 94.5% | 91.0% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 94.3% | 95.1% | 91.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +0.5 pts | +3.2 pts | +2.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in Lettered Streets: 94.3% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. Bellingham as a whole looks much the same. Among Bellingham's 13 neighborhoods, though, only two have a lower share of high school graduates.
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 Lettered Streets
| Period | Lettered Streets | Bellingham | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.2% | 9.1% | 7.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.3% | 9.2% | 8.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.5% | 5.9% | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.1% | 5.2% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.1 pts | −3.9 pts | −2.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs high in Lettered Streets: 7.1% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Lettered Streets 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| York | 2.31 | 28.3 | 4.2% | 83.2% | 7.3% | 1953 | $1,506 | 49.5% | 92.8% | 16.7% |
| 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% |
| Birchwood | 2.10 | 42.9 | 9.6% | 53.5% | 7.5% | 1976 | $1,552 | 33.9% | 97.4% | 1.3% |
| Western Washington University | 4.65 | 19.7 | 6.5% | 84.2% | 16.9% | 1968 | $1,618 | 46.4% | 100.0% | 17.9% |
| Mount Baker | 2.09 | 42.8 | 5.6% | 46.3% | 8.2% | 1996 | $1,997 | 40.1% | 94.2% | 2.3% |
| South Hill | 1.97 | 46.0 | 2.0% | 40.2% | 12.1% | 1971 | $1,689 | 72.1% | 96.3% | 4.3% |
| Happy Valley | 1.98 | 28.1 | 4.9% | 72.9% | 5.5% | 1989 | $1,592 | 53.1% | 97.5% | 6.2% |
| Samish Hill | 2.69 | 33.6 | 5.2% | 41.3% | 2.9% | 1996 | $1,785 | 56.0% | 97.7% | 8.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: East Hills, Pittsburgh, PA · Fort Myers Villas, Villas, FL · The Dominion, San Antonio, TX · McLoughlin, Oregon City, OR · Old Northeast, Bloomington, IN · Northwest Ridgewood, Ridgewood, NJ · University Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV · University Park-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL · Emerald Estates, Bakersfield, CA · Embassy Lakes, Cooper City, FL
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 Lettered Streets. 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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