Tellers Salary
In Bellingham, WA, tellers earn $47,630 at the median, or about $22.9 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.33), that's roughly $46,095 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,794/month, about 52.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $48K get you in Bellingham?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Bellingham’s Regional Price Parity (103.33). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tellers
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What this looks like in Bellingham
Bellingham sits well above the national pay line for tellers, local pay runs about 11% higher than the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,794/month, which is 53.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.33) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tellers in metros near Bellingham, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $50K | $45K |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley | $46K | $46K |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | $49K | $47K |
| Kennewick-Richland | $46K | $46K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Bellingham, WA
Entry-level tellers (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $21K spread from bottom to top.
Tellers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tellers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $48K | +11% | 9,180 |
| New Jersey | $47K | +10% | 10,270 |
| Massachusetts | $47K | +9% | 7,190 |
| California | $47K | +9% | 25,230 |
| Alaska | $47K | +9% | 1,020 |
| Connecticut | $46K | +8% | 3,220 |
| Colorado | $46K | +7% | 5,370 |
| Maryland | $46K | +7% | 3,860 |
| District of Columbia | $46K | +6% | 700 |
| Florida | $46K | +6% | 14,700 |
| Delaware | $45K | +5% | 1,400 |
| Rhode Island | $45K | +5% | 830 |
| Arizona | $45K | +5% | 3,770 |
| Virginia | $45K | +5% | 7,410 |
| Nevada | $45K | +5% | 1,850 |
| North Carolina | $45K | +4% | 5,260 |
| New Hampshire | $44K | +3% | 1,550 |
| Oregon | $44K | +3% | 2,990 |
| New York | $44K | +3% | 15,040 |
| Minnesota | $44K | +3% | 5,740 |
| Vermont | $44K | +2% | 930 |
| Hawaii | $44K | +2% | 1,760 |
| Maine | $43K | -0% | 2,410 |
| Idaho | $42K | -2% | 2,690 |
| South Carolina | $42K | -2% | 4,400 |
| Georgia | $42K | -3% | 7,820 |
| Pennsylvania | $40K | -7% | 14,800 |
| Ohio | $40K | -7% | 13,890 |
| Wisconsin | $40K | -8% | 9,030 |
| North Dakota | $39K | -9% | 1,990 |
| Michigan | $39K | -9% | 13,420 |
| Indiana | $39K | -10% | 8,400 |
| Illinois | $39K | -10% | 16,960 |
| South Dakota | $38K | -11% | 1,560 |
| Iowa | $38K | -11% | 5,470 |
| Utah | $38K | -11% | 4,790 |
| Wyoming | $38K | -11% | 970 |
| Nebraska | $38K | -11% | 4,590 |
| Montana | $38K | -12% | 1,660 |
| Texas | $38K | -12% | 25,860 |
| New Mexico | $38K | -12% | 2,330 |
| Alabama | $37K | -13% | 6,770 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -14% | 5,350 |
| Kansas | $37K | -14% | 4,720 |
| Mississippi | $37K | -14% | 3,750 |
| Tennessee | $37K | -15% | 7,560 |
| Missouri | $37K | -15% | 10,030 |
| Oklahoma | $36K | -17% | 7,230 |
| Arkansas | $36K | -17% | 4,250 |
| Louisiana | $36K | -17% | 4,900 |
| West Virginia | $35K | -20% | 2,620 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track tellers salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a teller afford a 2BR apartment alone in Bellingham?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 53.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,794/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tellers in Bellingham?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tellers typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,349/month. At HUD’s $1,794/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is teller a high-paying job in Bellingham?
Local pay is 11% above the national median — $48K here vs. $43K nationally.
How does Bellingham compare to the national average for tellers?
Bellingham pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s +11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.33), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tellers make in Bellingham, WA?
The median is $47,630 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,150, and experienced tellers can clear $60,620. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in Bellingham?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,359/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,794/month, which eats 53.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a tellers salary go in Bellingham?
Bellingham has a Regional Price Parity of 103.33 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tellers salary is worth about $46,095 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tellers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.