New U.S. Census estimates show Whatcom County had more deaths than births in 2021
Though Whatcom County saw a 0.7% increase in population between mid-2020 and 2021, new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed the county had a natural decrease with more deaths than births.
The county had a natural change of minus 164 between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2021 estimates of population and components of change released Thursday, March 24. Whatcom saw a total of 1,934 births, as opposed to 2,098 deaths.
Whatcom is far from alone in seeing a natural decrease in 2021, as the Census Bureau reported 73% of counties nationwide (or 2,297) had more deaths than births. That is up from 55.5% of counties in 2020 and 45.5% in 20219.
“In 2021, fewer births, an aging population and increased mortality – intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic — contributed to a rise in natural decrease,” the Census Bureau said of the high number of counties seeing a natural decrease last year.
Whatcom’s natural decrease was the ninth-largest among Washington state’s 39 counties, The Bellingham Herald’s analysis showed. Clallam County had the largest natural decrease (minus 652), while King County had the largest natural increase (6,638). Overall 16 counties in the state had natural decreases.
Thanks to its net migration rate, Whatcom still saw net population gain of 1,527 people, the Census estimates showed, as the county grew from a population of 227,304 on July 1, 2020, to 228,831 on July 1, 2021.
The Census estimates show Whatcom had a net migration increase of 1,668 people moving to the area from mid- 2020 to mid-2021, which was the eighth-largest increase in the state.
International moves made up nearly 10% of that increase, as Whatcom had a net increase in international migration of 156 people and a net domestic migration increase of 1,512 people, the Census data showed.
Most counties in the nation (65.6%) saw positive domestic migration, according to the Census Bureau, including all but five counties in Washington state.
“The patterns we’ve observed in domestic migration shifted in 2021,” Census Bureau Population Division Assistant Division Chief for Estimates and Projections Dr. Christine Hartley said in Thursday’s release. “Even though over time we’ve seen a higher number of counties with natural decrease and net international migration continuing to decline, in the past year, the contribution of domestic migration counteracted these trends so there were actually more counties growing than losing population.”
The estimates are developed from a base that incorporates the 2020 Census, Vintage 2020 estimates, and 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates, the Census Bureau reported.
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]