Best Retail Management Schools Near Bellingham, WA (2026)

Bellingham, Washington has 8 accredited schools offering retail management programs, with tuition ranging from $4,197 to $11,171 per year for indexed programs. Bellingham has a population of about 92,367. Median household income is $65,821 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 46.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bellingham, WA metro area, the top-earning retail management-related role is Sales Manager at a median $133,220 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Retail Management Schools to Bellingham

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer retail management programs near Bellingham, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bellingham city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Bellingham. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Olympic College

Bremerton, WA 81.8 miles from Bellingham BOC Score 60.1
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,169
Avg net price $7,172/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Green River College

Auburn, WA 100.4 miles from Bellingham BOC Score 56.8
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,712
Avg net price $13,803/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,711
Out‑of‑state$5,263
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Clover Park Technical College

Lakewood, WA 109.0 miles from Bellingham BOC Score 63.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,787
Avg net price $9,864/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,634
Out‑of‑state$6,634
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Lower Columbia College

Longview, WA 181.8 miles from Bellingham BOC Score 66.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,691
Avg net price $7,630/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,626
Out‑of‑state$6,003
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Washington schools on the Washington retail management page.


Retail Management Wages Near Bellingham

Bellingham is part of the Bellingham, WA metro area (BLS area code 13380). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers$57,150Bellingham, WA$55,324
General and Operations Manager$125,840Bellingham, WA$121,820
Sales Manager$133,220Bellingham, WA$128,964

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Bellingham at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population92,367Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$65,821Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+46.5%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.3 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Bellingham-Area Cities With Retail Management Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited retail management schools are near Bellingham, WA?

Our directory has 8 accredited schools offering retail management programs near Bellingham. The closest is Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, WA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Highline College (94.6 miles). 6 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying retail management roles near Bellingham?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying retail management-related roles near Bellingham are: Sales Manager ($133,220), General and Operations Manager ($125,840), First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers ($57,150). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Mount Vernon instead of Bellingham?

Mount Vernon, WA is 24.1 miles from Bellingham and has its own set of local retail management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Bellingham an affordable place to study retail management?

Bellingham’s median household income of $65,821 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bellingham while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Retail Management Programs

Other Programs Available in Bellingham

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Bellingham:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.