Whatcom County, WA jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Whatcom County’s unemployment rate is 4.5%. Employers filed 2 layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 55 open professional jobs are in its cities.

Whatcom County economy

4.5%
unemployment, Aug 2026
4.5% the month before
114,698
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
228,432
people in Whatcom County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$80,989
median household income
Source: Census ACS
41%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Whatcom County layoffs

2
WARN layoff notices, last 12 months
86
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
2
employers

WARN notices filed in Whatcom County, newest first
Notice date	Employer	City or county	Workers	Type	Source
Jul 1, 2026	Alpha Technologies Services, Inc.Takes effect Aug 31, 2026	Bellingham	75	Closure	State record
Jan 28, 2026	CHS NorthwestTakes effect Apr 1, 2026	Lynden	11	Layoff	State record

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Whatcom County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

Western Washington University11 open roles
Place4 open roles
Bellingham Technical College3 open roles
Gecko Hospitality3 open roles
Customs and Border Protection2 open roles
Headlands Research2 open roles
Acadia Healthcare Company1 open role
Add-On Criteria1 open role
Albertsons Companies1 open role
Another Source1 open role

Colleges in Whatcom County

Colleges in Whatcom County
College	City	Type	Students
Western Washington University	Bellingham	Public 4-year	10,000–19,999
Northwest Indian College	Bellingham	Public 4-year	Under 1,000

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Whatcom County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Northwest Workforce Council
Island, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom

WorkSource Whatcom
Bellingham · Comprehensive · 360-676-1521
M-W-TH-F 8-5 Tuesdays 9-5

Cities in Whatcom County

Bellingham44 jobs
Lynden3 jobs
Blaine5 jobs

Other Washington counties

All of Washington

Laid off or looking for work in Whatcom County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); WARN notices from Washington’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers.