Whatcom County Is Too Expensive. We Need More Affordability.

Ask almost anyone in Whatcom County about the cost of living and you’ll hear a familiar answer: it has become too expensive to live here.

Housing takes an increasingly large share of household income. Groceries, gas, utilities, healthcare and other basic expenses continue to strain family budgets. For renters trying to save, homeowners trying to keep up, seniors living on fixed incomes and young adults hoping to build a future here, affordability has become one of the defining challenges facing our community.

The Growing Gap Between Housing Costs and Wages

As I knock on doors and talk with people throughout our district, one concern comes up again and again: people are worried they will never be able to afford a home here.

For many millennials and Gen Z residents, homeownership feels increasingly out of reach. That matters not only because people want the stability of owning a home, but because housing has historically been one of the primary ways American households build wealth.

The gap between homeowners and renters has become striking. Researchers found that in 2022 the median wealth gap between homeowners and renters reached nearly $390,000, the highest recorded since the Federal Reserve began collecting comparable data in 1989. The researchers also concluded that housing wealth has been a major driver of that divide.

Here in Bellingham, the disconnect between home prices and local incomes is especially pronounced. A 2025 analysis by Construction Coverage ranked Bellingham first among the top small U.S. cities for its home-price-to-income ratio, using a ratio of approximately 12 to 1 based on Zillow home-value data and Census household-income data.

City data shows the same trend over time. In just five years, Bellingham’s median rent increased 37% and its median home price increased 56%. Today, 24% of homeowners and 56% of renters are considered cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

The longer-term numbers are just as concerning. From 2000 to 2020, Bellingham’s median family income increased about 20% after adjusting for inflation, while the median home value increased nearly 80%.

Taken together, these numbers tell a clear story: the cost of housing has been rising much faster than the ability of many local households to pay for it.

Removing barriers to building to increase the housing supply must be part of the solution. So must creating more opportunities for people to earn wages that reflect the true cost of living in our community.

It’s Not Just Housing

Housing may be the largest expense in most household budgets, but it is only one part of Whatcom County’s affordability problem.

Research from Western Washington University’s Center for Economic & Business Research found that the cost of living in Whatcom County during the first quarter of 2025 was 20.8% higher than the national average. Cascadia Daily reported that those higher costs, combined with comparatively low local wages, leave many Bellingham residents living paycheck to paycheck.

Transportation costs are another source of pressure. In early September 2026, AAA reported that the average price for regular gasoline in Whatcom County reached approximately $5.35 per gallon, about 40 cents higher than it had been one month earlier.

Higher fuel prices affect more than the cost of filling a tank. Transportation is built into the cost of getting food, materials and other goods to market, so increases can ripple through household and business budgets.

State policy is also part of the overall cost equation. Washington’s motor-fuel tax increased by 2% in July 2026, adding another state-level cost at the pump. That does not mean any single tax explains Washington’s fuel prices, which are also influenced by crude-oil prices, refining capacity, regional supply, environmental regulations and market conditions. But when household budgets are already stretched, lawmakers should consider the cumulative impact of taxes, fees and regulations on everyday expenses.

The clearest measure of the problem may be how many households simply cannot cover the basics. According to the most recent United Way ALICE data, 38% of Whatcom County households were below the ALICE survival threshold in 2024— meaning their income was not sufficient to cover basic necessities such as housing, food, transportation, healthcare, technology and taxes.

In Bellingham, Cascadia Daily reported an even more severe picture, estimating that 60% of households fall below the ALICE threshold when poverty-level households and ALICE households are considered together.

This is a big warning sign and policymakers need to act. When so many working households are struggling to afford ordinary life, affordability cannot be treated as a single-issue problem. Housing, wages, transportation, taxes, healthcare, education and economic development are interconnected. Addressing the cost of living requires looking at all of them together.

Dr. Erika Creydt’s Approach: Accountability First

As a clinical psychologist, small-business owner, and Blaine School Board director running for State Senate in the 42nd District, my approach starts with a simple principle: before state government asks Washington families and businesses for more, it should be able to show that the money it already collects is being spent effectively.

Washington’s current 2025–27 operating budget totals about $166 billion from all fund sources, including roughly $70 billion supported by General Fund-State tax and fee revenues and reserves.

I support bringing greater accountability into the state budget by measuring whether programs are achieving their intended outcomes and whether taxpayer dollars are reaching the people and services they were designed to support. Programs that deliver results should be strengthened. Programs that are inefficient or ineffective should be reformed, and lawmakers should look for opportunities to redirect resources toward priorities that improve quality of life.

I believe fiscal responsibility and strong public services are not competing goals. The purpose of accountability is to make sure Washington can support schools, healthcare, infrastructure, housing, and essential safety-net programs while also respecting the taxpayers who fund them.

We should repeal Washington’s newly enacted individual income tax. Under Senate Bill 6346, beginning January 1, 2028, Washington will impose a 9.9% tax on taxable income above $1 million for individuals and married couples filing jointly. The legislation also changes a number of state pension statutes that impact teachers, law enforcement, fire fighters, and other state employees so that pension income is not categorically exempt from the new tax. I support repealing this tax because once income tax is legal for one income bracket, it's legal to apply the tax to any income bracket.

Washington should preserve its longstanding advantage of having no broad-based individual income tax and focus instead on better managing the resources the state already collects.

More Homes, Built Responsibly

Accountability alone will not solve the affordability crisis. Housing supply is another major piece of the equation.

I support making it easier to build more housing by streamlining permitting, removing unnecessary barriers, and ensuring communities have the infrastructure needed to support responsible growth.

The goal is not growth at any cost, we should concentrate development where roads, utilities, schools, and other infrastructure can accommodate it while protecting farmland, water resources, and environmentally sensitive areas.

Increasing the supply and variety of housing can give more people a realistic opportunity to stay in the community they call home, allowing seniors to remain close to family and support networks, giving young adults a better chance to put down roots, and making Whatcom County a more realistic place for graduates of Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, and Bellingham Technical College to build careers and futures.

Better Jobs, Stronger Household Incomes

Affordability is not only about what things cost. It is also about what people earn.

When housing costs rise faster than wages, even people working full time can struggle to get ahead. Whatcom County needs a stronger economic-development strategy focused on both retaining existing employers and attracting businesses that provide living-wage careers.

That means evaluating state tax incentives and workforce-development programs to determine whether they are producing meaningful results, improving partnerships between employers and job-training programs, and removing unnecessary barriers that make it more difficult for businesses to invest, expand, and hire.

A stronger base of living-wage employment can help households keep pace with the cost of living while also making Whatcom County more competitive for employers looking for skilled workers.

Housing and jobs reinforce one another. Employers have a harder time attracting and retaining workers when those workers cannot afford to live nearby. At the same time, increasing housing supply without improving earning opportunities leaves many households facing the same affordability gap.

Connected Affordability Issues Require Connected Solutions

Housing costs, household incomes, taxes, transportation, healthcare, education, and state spending do not exist in isolation. Together, they determine whether a family can afford to build a stable life in Whatcom County.

My approach is to look at those pressures together: increase housing supply responsibly, strengthen opportunities for living-wage employment, improve access to healthcare and education, and demand greater accountability for how state government spends taxpayer dollars. This will help make Whatcom County a place where people can afford to live, work, raise a family, build a career, and retire.

I am running to represent Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike and I am committed to supporting policies that improve quality of life for everyone in the 42nd District.