Quick Answer: Bellingham, Washington follows the state minimum wage of $17.13 per hour in 2026. Unlike Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, and Renton, Bellingham has not enacted its own local minimum wage ordinance — it simply follows the statewide rate. Like the rest of Washington, Bellingham has no tip credit — tipped workers must be paid the full minimum wage in cash.
- Bellingham minimum wage: $17.13/hr (Washington state rate)
- No separate city ordinance — Bellingham follows the state rate
- Annual salary at 40 hrs/wk: $35,630
- Tipped minimum wage: $17.13/hr (no tip credit allowed)
- Living wage for Bellingham: ~$20.00/hr (single adult)
Bellingham WA minimum wage follows the Washington state rate. Unlike Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, and Renton, Bellingham has not enacted its own local minimum wage ordinance, so workers there are covered by the same statewide floor as most of Washington.
What Is the Minimum Wage in Bellingham in 2026?
$17.13 per hour, the Washington state rate, effective January 1, 2026. Because Bellingham has no local minimum wage ordinance, this is the same rate that applies across most of the state outside of Seattle and a handful of other cities.
Washington's Minimum Wage Act (RCW 49.46) sets the statewide floor and is adjusted annually for inflation by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Cities may set a higher local rate, as Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, and Renton have done, but Bellingham has not.
Bellingham Minimum Wage Pay-Period Examples
Because the Bellingham WA minimum wage is a flat hourly rate with no local add-on, it's straightforward to calculate what a full-time worker earns at each pay interval. Here's what $17.13/hr works out to for a worker with no overtime:
- Hourly: $17.13
- Daily (8-hour shift): $137.04
- Weekly (40 hours): $685.20
- Biweekly (80 hours): $1,370.40
- Monthly (average, 40 hrs/week): $2,969.20
- Annual (2,080 hours): $35,630.40
These figures assume a straight 40-hour week at the base rate, with no tips, overtime, or bonuses factored in. Anyone working more than 40 hours in a workweek in Bellingham is entitled to overtime pay under Washington law, calculated at 1.5 times their regular rate — so a worker earning exactly minimum wage would be owed at least $25.70/hr for each overtime hour.
Bellingham Minimum Wage vs. Other Washington Cities
| City | Minimum Wage (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle (large employers) | $20.76 | 501+ employees |
| SeaTac (hospitality) | $20.17 | Hospitality & transportation workers |
| Tukwila (large employers) | $20.10 | 500+ employees |
| Renton (large employers) | $17.13 | 500+ employees |
| Bellingham | $17.13 | Follows the state rate — no local ordinance |
| Washington State | $17.13 | Statewide floor |
Source: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and city ordinances, as of 2026.
A few of these local rates come with wrinkles worth noting. Seattle's $20.76/hr rate applies to large employers with 501 or more employees; small employers (1–500 employees) pay a slightly lower $19.06/hr. SeaTac's $20.17/hr rate is narrower still — it only covers hospitality and transportation workers, not every employer in the city. Bellingham isn't alone in following the state rate, either: Tacoma, Washington's third-largest city, has no minimum wage ordinance of its own and also pays exactly $17.13/hr in 2026, the same as Bellingham and the same as most of the state outside these handful of cities.
Bellingham Tipped Minimum Wage
Like the rest of Washington, Bellingham does not allow a tip credit. Employers must pay the full minimum wage — $17.13/hr — in cash to all employees, including servers, bartenders, and other traditionally tipped workers. Tips are entirely on top of the full minimum wage.
To see why that matters, compare it with how tip credits work in states that allow them. Under federal law, an employer can pay a tipped worker as little as $2.13/hr in direct cash wages and count up to $5.12/hr in tips toward the rest of the federal $7.25/hr minimum — as long as the worker's tips actually bring their total pay up to at least minimum wage each pay period. So a server working a 25-hour week in a state that uses the full federal tip credit could legally be paid as little as $53.25 in cash wages ($2.13 × 25) before tips. A Bellingham server working the same 25-hour week must be paid at least $428.25 in cash wages ($17.13 × 25) by the employer alone, regardless of how much they make in tips. Tips are extra, not a substitute for wages.
Bellingham Cost of Living and Living Wage
According to MIT's Living Wage Calculator, the living wage for a single adult with no children in Whatcom County (where Bellingham is located) is approximately $20.00 per hour. At $17.13/hr, Bellingham's minimum wage is closer to the living wage than most US cities, but still falls short — particularly for workers with children.
That gap works out to about $2.87/hr, or roughly $5,970 a year for someone working full-time (40 hrs/week, 2,080 hours a year). It's a meaningfully smaller shortfall than what minimum-wage workers face in most of the country, where the federal $7.25/hr floor sits far below any reasonable living-wage estimate — but it's still a real gap for Bellingham workers earning only the state minimum, especially with the cost pressures below.
Bellingham's cost of living is driven by housing costs, which have risen significantly due to the city's proximity to Vancouver, BC, and its popularity as a destination for remote workers. The median home price in Bellingham is among the highest in Washington outside the Seattle metro area.
Bellingham Minimum Wage for Salaried and Exempt Employees
The $17.13/hr rate applies to hourly, non-exempt workers. Washington also sets a separate minimum salary threshold for employees who are exempt from overtime — typically salaried administrative, executive, or professional employees. For 2026, that threshold is $1,155.58 per week, or $60,090 per year, for most employers statewide. Because Bellingham has no local ordinance of its own, this state-set threshold applies to Bellingham employers exactly as it does everywhere else in Washington.
Who Is Covered by Bellingham's Minimum Wage?
Because Bellingham follows the statewide rate, the same rules that apply everywhere else in Washington apply here: all employees who work in the state, regardless of employer size, are entitled to at least $17.13/hr. This includes full-time, part-time, and temporary workers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bellingham have its own minimum wage ordinance?
No. Bellingham has not enacted a local minimum wage ordinance. Workers there are covered by the Washington state minimum wage — $17.13/hr in 2026 — the same as most cities in the state outside of Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, and Renton.
How does the Bellingham minimum wage compare to Seattle's?
Seattle's rate is substantially higher: $20.76/hr for large employers (501+ employees) and $19.06/hr for small employers, versus Bellingham's $17.13/hr. The difference — up to $3.63/hr for large employers — reflects Seattle's own local minimum wage ordinance, which Bellingham does not have.
Is Bellingham's minimum wage the same as Tacoma's?
Yes. Neither Tacoma nor Bellingham has a local minimum wage ordinance, so both cities pay exactly the Washington state rate of $17.13/hr in 2026.
Can employers in Bellingham pay tipped workers less than $17.13/hr?
No. Washington does not allow a tip credit, so every employer in Bellingham — restaurants, bars, and other tipped-service businesses included — must pay the full $17.13/hr in cash wages, with tips on top.
Will Bellingham's minimum wage increase in 2027?
Almost certainly, since Washington's minimum wage adjusts every January 1 based on inflation under RCW 49.46. The exact 2027 rate hasn't been set yet — Washington's Department of Labor & Industries typically announces it in the fall — so check back for the confirmed figure once it's published rather than relying on an estimate.
Is Bellingham's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes, considerably. The federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr and hasn't changed since 2009. At $17.13/hr, Bellingham's rate is more than double the federal floor.
Related: Washington Minimum Wage Guide · Tipped Minimum Wage Explained · Washington Minimum Wage Data Page
