Living in Nooksack, Washington: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.3% above the U.S. average in the Bellingham metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Nooksack itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 middle. No public high school in town: the nearest is Nooksack Valley High School, about 3 miles away.
A hospital close byPeacehealth United General Medical Center in Sedro Woolley, about 30 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySeattle is about 90 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Nooksack meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 22% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $524,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 11%Whatcom County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,721 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $97,159U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 86%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,582 a yearWashington: $4,556
Homes built before 1940: 8%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 29%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 103.3U.S. average = 100 (the Bellingham metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 11% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Bellingham metro area, not Nooksack alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,8332020: 1,499
Median age: 31.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 29%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 19%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 6%U.S.: 6%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Manufacturing (19%); schools, health care and social services (17%); retail (9%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 30 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 10%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 15%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Peacehealth United General Medical Center, Sedro Woolley, WA, about 30 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Nearest general hospital: Island Hospital, Anacortes, WA, about 32 miles away. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Nooksack, run by Nooksack Valley School District. The nearest public high school is Nooksack Valley High School, about 3 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Washington's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 90%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 32°F
July average high: 76°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 2 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 57 a year
Rain and melted snow: 49.9 inches a year
Snow: 11 inches a year
Elevation: 87 feet

Weather station: Clearbrook (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Peacehealth United General Medical CenterEmergency room30

Bellingham, WACity of 96,00014

Seattle, WAMetro of 4.2 million90

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Peacehealth United General Medical Center, Bellingham, Seattle.

Whatcom County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

North Cascades National Park32 miles
San Juan Island National Historical Park43 miles
Ross Lake National Recreation Area47 miles
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve49 miles

Read about Nooksack's history on Wikipedia.

Know Nooksack?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Everson, WA3,300 people, 2 miles
Sumas, WA1,700 people, 5 miles
Lynden, WA16,900 people, 6 miles
Peaceful Valley, WA2,900 people, 8 miles
Ferndale, WA17,600 people, 13 miles
Sudden Valley, WA6,100 people, 14 miles

Smaller places

Deming, WA (unincorporated)568 people, 8 miles
Kendall, WA (unincorporated)657 people, 9 miles
Maple Falls, WA (unincorporated)209 people, 10 miles
Geneva, WA (unincorporated)2,073 people, 13 miles
Custer, WA (unincorporated)477 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.