How are homes heated in Birch Bay, WA?

Name: Heating fuel in Birch Bay, WA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Electricity is the most common heating fuel in Birch Bay, used by 46.6% (±6.8 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

41.6% heat with utility gas.

0.2% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 41.6% (±6.2 points)
Electricity: 46.6%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 0.2%

Heating fuel in Birch Bay

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Birch Bay	Whatcom County	Washington	United States
Utility gas	41.6% (±6.2 points)	39.5%	33.0%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	0.2% (±0.3 points)	0.9%	1.3%	3.9%
Electricity	46.6% (±6.8 points)	46.5%	58.6%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	8.3% (±2.8 points)	8.7%	3.0%	4.9%
Wood	1.4% (±1.1 points)	3.4%	2.8%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.1% (±0.2 points)	0.3%	0.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.9 points)	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.8% (±0.8 points)	0.5%	0.4%	0.5%
No fuel used	1.0% (±1.2 points)	0.4%	0.6%	1.2%

The survey asks which fuel is used most to heat the home, so a home with a heat pump and an oil backup is counted once, under the one it uses most.

In Birch Bay, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is lower than in Whatcom County (0.9%).

It is also lower than in Washington (1.3%).

It is lower than the national figure (3.9%).

In Birch Bay, the share of homes heating with electricity is not measurably different from Whatcom County (46.5%).

It is also lower than in Washington (58.6%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (41.3%).

Homes heated by electricity in places near Birch Bay

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Birch Bay
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Birch Bay	—	46.6% (±6.8 points)	—
Blaine	4.4 mi	46.5% (±6.6 points)	Not measurably different
Ferndale	8.5 mi	39.6% (±5.8 points)	Not measurably different
Marietta-Alderwood	13 mi	56.2% (±9.4 points)	Not measurably different
Lynden	13 mi	28.8% (±5.4 points)	Lower
Point Roberts	15 mi	56.0% (±8.6 points)	Not measurably different
Bellingham	17 mi	56.6% (±1.9 points)	Higher
Everson	18 mi	49.4% (±9.0 points)	Not measurably different
Nooksack	19 mi	16.0% (±7.1 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lynden, WA (28.8%), Nooksack, WA (16.0%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Bellingham, WA (56.6%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Homes heated by fuel oil across Whatcom County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
1	Sudden Valley	2.0% (±2.0 points)
2	Point Roberts	1.7% (±1.9 points)
3	Blaine	0.4% (±0.6 points)
4	Birch Bay	0.2% (±0.3 points)
5 (tie)	Bellingham	0.0% (±0.1 points)
5 (tie)	Everson	0.0% (±4.0 points)
5 (tie)	Ferndale	0.0% (±0.7 points)
5 (tie)	Geneva	0.0% (±4.0 points)
5 (tie)	Lynden	0.0% (±0.7 points)
5 (tie)	Marietta-Alderwood	0.0% (±2.4 points)

Showing 10 of 13 places in Whatcom County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Birch Bay is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Birch Bay

What is the most common way to heat a home in Birch Bay?

Electricity is the most common heating fuel in Birch Bay, used by 46.6% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Birch Bay heat with oil?

0.2% (±0.3 points) of occupied homes in Birch Bay use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Birch Bay have electric heat?

46.6% (±6.8 points) of occupied homes in Birch Bay heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Birch Bay CDP, Washington

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Birch Bay CDP, Washington (place:06190, in state:53).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0063PE, DP04_0063PM, DP04_0066PE, DP04_0066PM, DP04_0065PE, DP04_0065PM, DP04_0064PE, DP04_0064PM, DP04_0068PE, DP04_0068PM, DP04_0069PE, DP04_0069PM, DP04_0067PE, DP04_0067PM, DP04_0070PE, DP04_0070PM, DP04_0071PE, DP04_0071PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.