CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

48.79° N · 122.56° W · GEOID 5343491

Marietta-Alderwood

Whatcom County, Washington · part of the Bellingham, WA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

The short answer

Marietta-Alderwood is home to 3,754 people. Median household income is $76,019 a year and median rent is $1,496 a month, 23.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $547,100, about 7.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,496
10% above the median place
Median household income
$76,019
5% below the median place
Median home value
$547,100
71% above the median place
Unemployment
4.8%
2% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Marietta-Alderwood

  • The median home is worth 7.2 years of the median household's income, more than in 94% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 125 hours a year commuting, less than in 83% of places its size.
  • Household income has grown 8.4% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 84% of places its size.
01

Moving to Marietta-Alderwood

Whatcom County gains about 4.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in9,554
Moved out8,748
Net+806

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Washington, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within WashingtonOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$76K
Leavers$74K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Whatcom County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.9% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.6% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Whatcom County report $76,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $73,700.
Income you would need
$59,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,496 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,979 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $547,100.
Getting to work
18 minutes each way on average; 8.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
St. George, UT matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people6
4.4
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
2.6%
33% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
6.9%
20% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMarietta-AlderwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.9%20% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.6%33% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure4.4above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$76,3248% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$73,6745% above
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 7.2x, 89% above the median place.

Marietta-Alderwood23.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$59,840
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
23.6%
16% above the median place
Home price to income
7.2x
89% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
24%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$57,300
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Marietta-Alderwood, $1,496 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Marietta-Alderwood, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Rathdrum, ID20.2% vs 23.6%$14,100Compare
Hailey, ID19.3% vs 23.6%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Marietta-Alderwood.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Marietta-Alderwood? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$547,100
71% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
56.4%
12% above the median place
Homeownership1
57.6%
13% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureMarietta-AlderwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,49610% above
Rent to income123.6%16% above
Property tax rate10.7%20% below
Home price to income17.2x89% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure103.32% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,87216% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,01523% above
Median home value1$547,10071% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.1%35% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure49.9%3% below
Homeownership157.6%13% below
Renters paying 30%+156.4%12% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9796% above
Vacant homes1County figure9.2%30% above
Median year built119800% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
18 min
28% below the median place
Works from home1
8.0%
36% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$52,223 +30%
Poverty rate7.9% −27%
Median household income$76,019 −5%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMarietta-AlderwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$76,0195% below
Income per person1$52,22330% above
Unemployment1County figure4.8%2% below
Average annual pay5County figure$69,4345% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure6.5%76% above
Jobs5County figure93,72038% below
Poverty rate17.9%27% below
Mean commute118 min28% below
Works from home18.0%36% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 95.8%, 4% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
95.8%
4% above the median place
Household size1
2.3
8% below the median place
Born abroad1
5.9%
33% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age38.3 −2%
Bachelor's or higher33.9% +6%
High school or higher92.3% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMarietta-AlderwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,7546646th largest
Median age138.32% below
Bachelor's or higher133.9%6% above
High school or higher192.3%0% below
Household size12.38% below
Born abroad15.9%33% below
No health insurance1County figure5.8%9% below
Homes with broadband195.8%4% above
05

Life in Marietta-Alderwood

75 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents5.3 −48%
Playgrounds per 10k16.0 +70%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k2.7 −76%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −85%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi6.5 31.1×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars24.0 +15%
Shops34.4 +14%
Arts, recreation and fitness6.3 +54%
Doctors' offices and clinics23.8 +18%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
6.3
54% above the median place
Public schools10
76
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students10
27,340
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureMarietta-AlderwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure76above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure27,340above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure18.520% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure24.015% above
Shops per 10k7County figure34.414% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure6.354% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure23.818% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.917% below
Parks per 10k85.348% below
Playgrounds per 10k816.070% above
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k82.776% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.385% below
Transit stops per sq mi86.5above (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure75above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 70°F, 19% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Marietta-Alderwood. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high11
70°F
19% below the median place
Annual precipitation11
72.2 in
65% above the median place
Average temperature11
45°F
19% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureMarietta-AlderwoodAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure70°F19% below
January average low11County figure27°F9% above
Average temperature11County figure45°F19% below
Annual precipitation11County figure72.2 in65% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure91.02% below
Tornado risk12County figure13.184% below
Wildfire risk12County figure61.71% above
Heat wave risk12County figure78.912% below
Median air quality index13County figure3128% below
Good air days13County figure94.0%37% above
08

Marietta-Alderwood in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 24% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 24% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,496/mo (2024)$1,930/mo$1,580 to $2,350/mo+4.3%
Median household income$76,019 (2024)$96,500$81,500 to $114,500+4.1%
Median home value$547,100 (2024)$791,000$574,000 to $1,090,000+6.3%

The median home would be worth 8.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Marietta-Alderwood

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
St. George, UT$1,545$76,508Compare
Silverton, OR$1,580$79,960Compare
Reno, NV$1,556$80,760Compare
Arden-Arcade, CA$1,588$77,321Compare
Arden-Arcade, CAReno, NVSilverton, ORSt. George, UTMarietta-Alderwood, WASt. GeorgeSilvertonRenoSt. GeorgeSilvertonReno

Common questions

Is Marietta-Alderwood a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median home is worth 7.2 years of the median household's income, more than in 94% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 125 hours a year commuting, less than in 83% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 13 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Marietta-Alderwood expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 23.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $547,100.

What salary do you need to live in Marietta-Alderwood?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $59,840 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Marietta-Alderwood?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are St. George, UT, Silverton, OR, Reno, NV and Arden-Arcade, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Marietta-Alderwood with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Marietta-Alderwood itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/marietta-alderwood-washington

Citytistics. “Marietta-Alderwood, Washington.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/marietta-alderwood-washington/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.