CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

48.95° N · 122.15° W · GEOID 5353800

Peaceful Valley

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

Limited data population under 5,000

The short answer

Peaceful Valley is home to 2,858 people. Median household income is $59,625 a year and median rent is $1,477 a month, 29.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $317,800, about 5.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,477
8% above the median place
Median household income
$59,625
26% below the median place
Median home value
$317,800
1% below 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 Peaceful Valley

  • Household income has grown 14.5% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 190 Washington places.
  • The median rent takes 29.7% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 94% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 190 Washington places.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $41,300 a year left, less than in 89% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 172 Washington places.
  • 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 88% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 5.3 years of the median household's income, more than in 85% of places its size.
01

Moving to Peaceful Valley

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
8.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.4% from another state.
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
$59,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,477 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,748 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $317,800.
Getting to work
52 minutes each way on average; 14.8% work from home; 1.8% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Hemet, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
4.4%
124% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
8.6%
51% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
4.4
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePeaceful ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year18.6%51% above
Moved from another state14.4%124% 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

Rent to income is 29.7%, 46% above the median place.

Peaceful Valley29.7%
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
$59,080
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
29.7%
46% above the median place
Home price to income
5.3x
40% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
30%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$41,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Peaceful Valley, $1,477 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 Peaceful Valley, 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
Shasta Lake, CA23.1% vs 29.7%$9,000Compare
Millersville, TN24.7% vs 29.7%$15,800Compare
Sweet Home, OR25.6% vs 29.7%$100Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Peaceful Valley.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Peaceful Valley? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.5%
48% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,500
54% below the median place
Median year built1
1988
1% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasurePeaceful ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4778% above
Rent to income129.7%46% above
Property tax rate10.5%48% below
Home price to income15.3x40% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure103.32% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,87216% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,50054% below
Median home value1$317,8001% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure2.1%35% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure49.9%3% below
Homeownership170.0%5% above
Renters paying 30%+145.7%10% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7487% below
Vacant homes1County figure9.2%30% above
Median year built119881% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 52 min, 108% above the median place.

Mean commute1
52 min
108% above the median place
Income per person1
$24,374
39% below the median place
Poverty rate1
17.1%
58% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePeaceful ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$59,62526% below
Income per person1$24,37439% below
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 rate117.1%58% above
Mean commute152 min108% above
Works from home1County figure14.8%19% above
Commutes by transit1County figure1.8%115% above
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 14.2%, 56% below the median place.

Bachelor's or higher1
14.2%
56% below the median place
High school or higher1
84.1%
9% below the median place
Median age1
40.9
5% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.6 +5%
Born abroad10.6% +20%
No health insurance7.1% +11%
Homes with broadband92.7% +0%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePeaceful ValleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,8586646th largest
Median age140.95% above
Bachelor's or higher114.2%56% below
High school or higher184.1%9% below
Household size12.65% above
Born abroad110.6%20% above
No health insurance17.1%11% above
Homes with broadband192.7%0% above
05

Life in Peaceful Valley

75 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents14.0 +38%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi4.4 20.9×

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
MeasurePeaceful ValleyAmong 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 10k814.038% above
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi84.4above (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 Peaceful Valley. 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
MeasurePeaceful ValleyAmong 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

Peaceful Valley in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 29% of the median income in 2030, down from 30% 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$1,477/mo (2024)$1,920/mo$1,580 to $2,350/mo+4.5%
Median household income$59,625 (2024)$79,500$67,000 to $94,000+4.9%
Median home value$317,800 (2024)$484,000$351,000 to $667,000+7.3%

The median home would be worth 6.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.3 now.

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

09

Places like Peaceful Valley

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

PlaceRentIncome
Hemet, CA$1,575$57,719Compare
Pinewood, FL$1,532$59,410Compare
Richland Hills, TX$1,492$66,721Compare
West Little River, FL$1,482$56,436Compare
West Little River, FLRichland Hills, TXPinewood, FLHemet, CAPeaceful Valley, WAHemetPinewoodRichland HillsWest Little RiverHemetPinewoodRichland HillsWest Little River

Common questions

Is Peaceful Valley a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Household income has grown 14.5% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 190 Washington places. The median rent takes 29.7% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 94% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 190 Washington places. On cost, space and class size it scores 19 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Peaceful Valley expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 29.7% 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 $317,800.

What salary do you need to live in Peaceful Valley?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $59,080 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Peaceful Valley?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Hemet, CA, Pinewood, FL, Richland Hills, TX and West Little River, FL.

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 Peaceful Valley with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Peaceful Valley itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/peaceful-valley-washington

Citytistics. “Peaceful Valley, Washington.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/peaceful-valley-washington/

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