CNA Jobs in Bellingham, WA: Employers, Settings, and Starting Pay

Bellingham is a one-hospital market for a Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C): PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center on Squalicum Parkway, with 251 licensed beds and a Level II trauma center, is the only hospital in Whatcom County per public hospital listings. Around it sit six skilled nursing facilities inside the city, senior living campuses in the Cordata and Barkley areas, home care agencies, and licensed adult family homes across Whatcom County. Indeed's posting data, updated September 2026, puts nursing assistants in Bellingham at about $23.48 per hour from 97 reported salaries, a shade under the Washington average of about $23.62. All wage figures in this article are approximate and come from job postings, not a survey of what any specific employer pays.

Bellingham employers by setting

The skilled nursing facility names above come from senior-care directories for Bellingham; confirm current ownership on each facility's own site, since long-term care operators change hands. St. Francis of Bellingham is on the same parkway as the hospital, which makes it a common first stop for graduates who want to move into hospital work later.

What the pay figures mean in Whatcom County

Indeed reports Bellingham at about $23.48 per hour. Mount Vernon, 25 miles south, reports about $23.03; Everett, the nearest large market, about $24.89. The Washington minimum wage for 2026 is $17.13, and Bellingham applies the state figure. From those numbers a realistic ladder looks like this:

1. Adult family homes and home care. Closest to the $17.13 minimum, because HCAs and NA-Cs compete for the same roles.
2. Senior living and memory care. Mid-range; the medication assistant endorsement (8 hours of medication CE plus 250 documented hours per renewal cycle) is what lifts pay here.
3. Skilled nursing facilities. Around the Bellingham average of about $23.48, plus evening, night, and weekend differentials that typically run $1.50 to $4 per hour statewide.
4. PeaceHealth St. Joseph. At or above the local average once differentials are added; hospital postings define the top of the Whatcom range.

BLS OEWS data for May 2025 gives the Seattle-metro healthcare support mean at about $25.96 per hour; Bellingham is outside that metro, and its lower cost of living relative to King County is part of why local figures sit closer to the state average. How Washington pay is assembled from base rate, differentials, and overtime is in CNA salary in Washington State.

Working before and after certification

A Bellingham skilled nursing facility can hire a graduate as a Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR), the provisional credential that allows facility employment before the exam is passed. The DOH rule gives a NAR hired by a nursing facility 4 months from the hire date to complete training and pass both exam parts. The hospital generally requires the NA-C in hand. The practical sequence for a Bellingham graduate:

• Before the exam: apply to skilled nursing facilities with the Certificate of Completion and NAR confirmation; six facilities inside the city plus others in Lynden and Ferndale give decent odds of a quick start.
• After the $100 skills pass is recorded: book the $55 Credentia knowledge test; you cannot register for Part 2 before Part 1 clears.
• After Part 2: submit the DOH application (fee per the current schedule) and watch the Provider Credential Search for the NA-C to appear.
• Once listed: apply to PeaceHealth for float pool or unit openings, and notify your current employer so pay and scope update.

The NAR deadline and what happens if you miss it are laid out in the NAR four-month rule in Washington. Whether to start as a NAR or wait is discussed in working as a CNA before certification in Washington.

Documents Bellingham employers verify

• Active NA-C or NAR status on the DOH Provider Credential Search.
• Results of the name-based statewide background check; adult family homes and assisted living also run the DSHS check. A recent move from another state may trigger a fingerprint check.
• BLS CPR from the American Heart Association, which St. Joseph and most facilities require.
• TB screening and immunization records, including current flu vaccination during the season.
• The medication assistant endorsement for medication aide postings.

If your training was in another state, verification from that state's registry comes first; the endorsement process is in CNA reciprocity in Washington.

Getting to Bellingham employers by bus

Whatcom Transportation Authority's major destinations page lists routes 9 and 18 for St. Joseph hospital. Its four GO Lines (BLUE 190, GREEN 232, GOLD 331, PLUM) run every 15 minutes on weekdays through downtown Bellingham, and the GREEN and GOLD lines reach the Cordata area where North Cascades Health and Rehabilitation and several senior living campuses sit. For a NA-C willing to commute south, Skagit Transit's route 80X links Bellingham Station with Skagit Station in Mount Vernon in about 45 minutes on weekdays with six trips each way on weekends, per the Skagit Transit route page; from there the 90X continues to Everett Station. That opens Skagit Valley Hospital and, with the 1 Line from Lynnwood, the Everett and Seattle hospital markets for anyone who eventually wants the higher Puget Sound bands.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Bellingham? Indeed lists about $23.48 per hour from 97 salaries, updated September 2026, roughly the Washington average. Hospital roles with differentials sit above that; adult family homes sit nearer the $17.13 minimum. Treat all of these as approximate.

Which hospital hires CNAs in Bellingham? PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, the only hospital in Whatcom County, with 251 licensed beds and a Level II trauma center.

Can I work in Bellingham before passing the CNA exam? Yes, at a skilled nursing facility as a NAR with 4 months from hire to certify. The hospital typically wants the NA-C first.

Do I need a car for CNA jobs in Bellingham? Not for the hospital or the Cordata-area facilities, which WTA serves. Adult family home and home care work across Ferndale and Lynden is hard without one.

Are there enough openings in a one-hospital city? Long-term care is the volume employer: six skilled nursing facilities in the city plus senior living and adult family homes post steadily. Hospital openings are fewer and more competitive.

Where can a Bellingham CNA earn more? Everett postings average about $24.89 and Seattle-area hospitals higher still; the 80X, 90X, and 1 Line chain makes that a long but possible commute.

Statewide openings by setting are covered in CNA jobs in Washington. If you have not trained yet, CNA classes near Bellingham, WA compares the two local colleges with the 4-week CNA Traditional program in Federal Way.