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Sumas, Washington

Sumas is a small town of about 1,700 people in Whatcom County, Washington. It has grown about 4% since 2020. A typical home costs about 4.9 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Seattle, is about 95 miles away as the crow flies.

Population
1,672
up 3.8% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$441,500
Whatcom County prices up 11% since 2022
Household income
$89,375
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Bellingham area
103.3
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
35 miles
Sedro Woolley, WA
To Seattle
95 mi
straight line

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 4.9 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 Sumas 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 town1 public school. 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 35 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big citySeattle is about 95 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 Sumas 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.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$441,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 11%Whatcom County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,585 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$89,375U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
67%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$2,963 a yearWashington: $4,556
Homes built before 1940
15%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
19%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
1%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 Sumas 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
1,6722020: 1,611
Median age
31.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
7%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
33%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
13%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
1%U.S.: 6%

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 (20%); schools, health care and social services (17%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (11%)
Unemployment rate
3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
29 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
13%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
10%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 35 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 38 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

1 public school in Sumas, 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
74%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
95%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
40 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

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 Park30 miles
  • Ross Lake National Recreation Area47 miles
  • San Juan Island National Historical Park48 miles
  • Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve54 miles

Read about Sumas's history on Wikipedia.

Know Sumas?

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

Smaller places

  • Kendall, WA (unincorporated)657 people, 8 miles
  • Maple Falls, WA (unincorporated)209 people, 10 miles
  • Deming, WA (unincorporated)568 people, 12 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

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.