ZIP 98281 Property Distress & Foreclosure Data

ZIP code 98281 in Whatcom County, Washington carries a composite property-distress score of 32/100 — a moderate reading on DLRadar's deterministic public-record index. Structural exposure scores 71 and live distress 6 on the 0–100 scale. It additionally carries heavy environmental risk: flood (NFIP) exposure (98/100), climate & FEMA risk (91/100). What sets it apart are the readings on structural risk (71/100), institutional ownership (53/100), construction/permit lag (51/100). By contrast, mortgage stress (20/100) register low.

The market reads expansion — home values rose 5.2% year on year, and 11% higher over three years, at 36/100 phase confidence. Appreciation rarely lifts every parcel — the laggards are the opportunity.

About 1,275 people live here, median age 56. 82% of housing is owner-occupied. Vacancy runs 67.6%, above the national norm and a classic distress-and-opportunity signal. The demographic-stress sub-score lands at 40/100. The typical home is worth about $483,900 (5.7× income). At $80,197, median income runs near typical U.S. levels. There are about 2,105 housing units across 98281. Rent burden reaches 47% of tenant households. The poverty rate is 12.2%. Around 48% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Net-net, 98281 is a working-distress ZIP — the kind that rewards current, parcel-level intelligence. Every signal above traces to a verifiable public dataset, refreshed continuously and scored the same way in every ZIP nationwide.