Ferndale is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Washington. With a population of 15,840 people and six associated neighborhoods, Ferndale is the 72nd largest community in Washington.

Housing costs in Ferndale are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Washington.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 9.76% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Ferndale is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The education level of Ferndale citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 33.22% of adults in Ferndale have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Ferndale in 2022 was $33,508, which is lower middle income relative to Washington, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $134,032 for a family of four. However, Ferndale contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Ferndale is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ferndale home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ferndale residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Ferndale also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 13.27% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Ferndale include German, English, Irish, Russian, and European.

The most common language spoken in Ferndale is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.