# Whatcom, Washington — #2,520 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.50 of 10. FIPS 53073. Population 231,919. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 231,900 people live in Whatcom, Washington. It ranks #2,520 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #13 of 39 in Washington. The combined sales tax is 8.3%, higher than in 90% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.68% of a home's value each year, less than in 56% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 72% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 55% of counties. Life expectancy is about 79.3 years, longer than in 86% of counties. Air quality is better than in 89% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 32), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 83% of counties. On this site's state scores, Washington gets 6.34 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 2 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.34 |  |
| 2A | state | 2.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.83 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 3.61 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.78 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 2.45 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.60 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 1.11 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 9.30 |  |
| Government employees | county | 7.20 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 6.50 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #2723 Skagit, Washington — https://libertymoving.org/counties/53057.md
- #2838 Okanogan, Washington — https://libertymoving.org/counties/53047.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/53073
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=53073
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy