AreaProfile

Kennewick-Richland, WA

Metro Area Profile

311,807 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Kennewick-Richland, WA metropolitan area.

65
Area Score
Top 44% of 361 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 27% of 361 published metros67
GrowthTop 3% of 440 published metros85
Housing affordability297th of 441 published metros83
Climate273rd of 441 published metros63
Physical resilience320th of 441 published metros37
Access370th of 441 published metros60
Economic stabilityTop 26% of 441 published metros75
The quick read

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 2,898 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 24% on the prior year.

Physical-risk exposure is above the national median, driven mainly by inland flooding, earthquake and heat wave.

Its Area Score of 65 places Kennewick-Richland in the top 44% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
311,807
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$89,010
Top 9% nationally
Density
106/sq mi
2941.7 sq mi of land
Median age
34.6
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Kennewick-Richland, WA
Nearest major airport
MWH
58 mi · Grant County Intl
Median home value
$397,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.3% is lower than 43% of the 361 measured US metros.

Unemployment has been falling for 4 consecutive months, most recently 4.3%.

Employment fell 0.3% over the past year, to 147,799 employed residents.

Household income is higher than at least 91% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$2,114$89,010Top 9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$821$39,747Top 28%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate11.7%Bottom 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute24.0 minBottom 48%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher29.6%Top 35%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment147,799Top 44%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)4.3%Top 8%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.3%Top 39%June 2026
Labor force154,424Top 44%June 2026
Labor force participation62.9%Top 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$73,460Top 8%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$57,290Top 9%2025 OEWS
Metro employment129,490Top 45%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.5%Top 24%June 2026
Unemployment rate4.3%Top 43%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/066.23.2
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.3% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Kennewick-Richland, WA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides4,800$47,810
Fast Food and Counter Workers4,120$36,410
Retail Salespersons3,580$37,600
Registered Nurses2,560$106,410
Stockers and Order Fillers2,540$38,940
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse2,470$42,340

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,284 takes 17% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.5 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
17.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.5×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,284
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$397,900
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income4.47Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate68.5%Bottom 42%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±372114,284Top 22%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$33$1,284Top 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,086$397,900Top 12%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income17.3%Bottom 38%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate5.6%Bottom 6%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
85/ 100
Top 3% of 440 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 5% since 2020, reaching 319,428 in 2024.

At 9.3 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
2,898
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
9.3
Top 10% nationally
Year over year
+24%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
50.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024319k305k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 93°F and January a low of 28°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 7.6 inches.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station PASCO TRI CITIES AP, 9.4 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND1.0"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation7.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low28°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high93°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing41°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

37 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and heat wave.

WildfireElevated
Heat waveHigh
EarthquakeElevated
Inland floodingElevated
Cold waveModerate
LandslideModerate

Low or minimal exposure: ice storm, volcanic activity, winter weather, lightning, hail, strong wind, avalanche, drought, tornado.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest 58 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Grant County IntlMWH58 mi13,503 ft
Spokane IntlGEG119 mi8,199 ft
Seattle-Tacoma IntlSEA163 mi11,901 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
65
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.