Bellingham, WA Metro Area Immigration

Population

The Bellingham Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population 1/ increased from 81,950 in 1970 to 201,140 in 2010. That was an increase of 145.4 percent.

The foreign-born (FB) population increased from 5,761 in 1970 to 21,990 in 2010. That was an increase of 281.7 percent. The foreign-born share changed from 7.0 percent to 10.9 percent.

The share of the overall population that was native-born (NB) increased by 135.1 percent.

	Bellingham MSA: Population  1970-2010

Sources of Population Change

The primary sources of population change are:

Natural Change [Births minus Deaths or B-D];
Net Domestic Migration [NDM - movement between states]; and
Net International Migration [NIM - movement into and out of the country].
There is also a residual "other" amount that isn't placed in one of those three categories.

The first chart below shows the three population change factors for three periods adjusted for annual average amounts. Domestic migration (NDM) was the primary factor in population increase in the first two periods, and B-D had that position in the most recent data.

The second chart shows the same data but with an adjustment to reflect births to immigrants shifted to NIM. In it, NIM became the principal factor adding population in the most recent period.

	Bellingham MSA: Sources of Population Change 1990-2014 		Bellingham MSA: Sources of Population Change (Adjusted) 1990-2014

		B-D	  NDM	 NIM						B-D	  NDM	  NIM	
	90-'99	23.7%	61.9%	14.4%					90-'99	15.4%	61.9%	26.8%
	00-'09	21.8%	62.7%	15.5%					00-'09	11.5%	62.7%	29.1%
	10-'14	44.9%	37.0%	18.0%					10-'14	20.0%	37.0%	42.9%

1/ Whatcom County.

Links:

MSA Factsheets by state, and alphabetically.

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