Benton County, WA

County

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2022 Population

207,560

1.47% 1-year growth

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2022 Median Age

36.1

0% 1-year change

2022 Poverty Rate

10.5%

0.217% 1-year decrease

2022 Median Household Income

$83,778

9.35% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$338,700

19.5% 1-year growth

2022 Employed Population

94,424

3.01% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Benton County, WA had a population of 208k people with a median age of 36.1 and a median household income of $83,778. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Benton County, WA grew from 204,551 to 207,560, a 1.47% increase and its median household income grew from $76,612 to $83,778, a 9.35% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Benton County, WA are White (Non-Hispanic) (67.4%), White (Hispanic) (8.31%), Other (Hispanic) (8.25%), Two+ (Hispanic) (6.41%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.35%).

None of the households in Benton County, WA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

93.2% of the residents in Benton County, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Benton County, WA are Paul Mitchell the School-Richland (176 degrees awarded in 2022), Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology (66 degrees), and Pacific Northwest Christian College (11 degrees).

In 2022, the median property value in Benton County, WA was $338,700, and the homeownership rate was 68.1%.

Most people in Benton County, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Benton County, WA was 2 cars per household.

Benton County, WA borders Morrow County, OR, Umatilla County, OR, Franklin County, WA, Grant County, WA, Klickitat County, WA, Walla Walla County, WA, and Yakima County, WA.

United States Washington Kennewick-Richland, WA

Population & Diversity

Benton County, WA is home to a population of 208k people, from which 93.2% are citizens. As of 2022, 11.5% of Benton County, WA residents were born outside of the country (23.9k people).

In 2022, there were 8.11 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (140k people) in Benton County, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 17.3k White (Hispanic) and 17.1k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.2%

2022 Citizenship

93.4%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 93.2% of Benton County, WA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Benton County, WA was 93.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Benton County, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Benton County, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
140k ± 477
White (Hispanic)
17.3k ± 1.61k
Other (Hispanic)
17.1k ± 1.62k

23.5%

Hispanic Population

48.8k people

23.5% of the people in Benton County, WA are hispanic (48.8k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Benton County, WA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Washington.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
244,390 ± 11,943 people
India
101,527 ± 7,771 people
China
86,360 ± 7,174 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 244,390 Washington residents, followed by India with 101,527 and China with 86,360.

Foreign-Born Population

11.5%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

23.9k people

11%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

22.5k people

As of 2022, 11.5% of Benton County, WA residents (23.9k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Benton County, WA was 11%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Benton County, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,209 ± 429
Gulf War (2001-)
2,859 ± 550
Gulf War (1990s)
1,967 ± 311

Benton County, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.47 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Benton County, WA employs 94.4k people. The largest industries in Benton County, WA are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,978 people), Retail Trade (10,075 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (9,579 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($112,047), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($91,889), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($84,263).

Males in Washington have an average income that is 1.34 times higher than the average income of females, which is $73,054. The income inequality in Washington (measured using the Gini index) is 0.47, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

94.4k

2022 Value

± 2,563

3.01%

1 Year growth

± 3.81%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Benton County, WA grew at a rate of 3.01%, from 91.7k employees to 94.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Benton County, WA, are Management Occupations (9,652 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (8,947 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (7,990 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Benton County, WA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Washington (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

94.4k

2022 Value

± 2,563

3.01%

1 Year growth

± 3.81%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Benton County, WA grew at a rate of 3.01%, from 91.7k employees to 94.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Benton County, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,978 people), Retail Trade (10,075 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (9,579 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Benton County, WA, though some of these residents may live in Benton County, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$59,991

Median earning men ± $2,503

$38,340

Median earning women ± $1,778

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($96,153), Public Administration ($88,464), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($78,997).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,134), Construction ($59,061), and Information ($55,625).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Y-Axis

3.62%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.58M people employed in Washington. This represents a 3.62% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Washington.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

2,030
Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance
984
Finance & Insurance, and Real Estate, Rental & Leasing
978
Professional, Scientific & Management, and Administrative & Waste Management Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Benton County, WA went to Donald J. Trump with 58.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (37.6%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (2.63%).

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing the state of Washington. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Washington is currently represented by 10 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (58.6%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (37.6%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (2.63%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Benton County, WA for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Patty Murray

Senator from Washington

Assumed office on January 3, 1993

Maria Cantwell

Senator from Washington

Assumed office on January 3, 2001

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing Washington.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Washington over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Washington

Washington is currently represented by 10 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Washington have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2022, universities in Benton County, WA awarded 253 degrees. The student population of Benton County, WA in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 42 male students and 262 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Benton County, WA are Hispanic or Latino (95 and 37.8%), followed by White (80 and 31.9%), Two or More Races (41 and 16.3%), and Unknown (21 and 8.37%).

The largest universities in Benton County, WA by number of degrees awarded are Paul Mitchell the School-Richland (176 and 69.6%), Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology (66 and 26.1%), and Pacific Northwest Christian College (11 and 4.35%).

The most popular majors in Benton County, WA are General Cosmetology (117 and 46.2%), Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (44 and 17.4%), and Barbering (31 and 12.3%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 304 students enrolled in Benton County, WA, 13.8% men and 86.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 129 records, of which 77.5% were women and 22.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Master Aesthetician
19 degrees awarded
General Cosmetology
117 degrees awarded
Barbering
31 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Benton County, WA was Master Aesthetician with 19 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Benton County, WA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Paul Mitchell the School-Richland
176 degrees awarded
Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology
66 degrees awarded
Pacific Northwest Christian College
11 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Paul Mitchell the School-Richland with 176 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2022, 43 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Benton County, WA, which is 0.205 times less than the 210 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 95 degrees mean that there were 1.19 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 80 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($11,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($175) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($375) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Measure

In 2022, 0.975% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.954% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.41M), Some college (1.4M), and Bachelors Degree (1.33M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Benton County, WA was $338,700 in 2022, which is 1.2 times larger than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $283,400 to $338,700, a 19.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Benton County, WA is 68.1%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Benton County, WA have an average commute time of 22.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Benton County, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Benton County, WA is $83,778. In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Benton County, WA was Census Tract 108.11 with a value of $191,023, followed by Census Tract 108.14 and Census Tract 107.07, with respective values of $158,625 and $136,739.

In 2023, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Benton County, WA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.742%.

Housing

Property

$338,700

Median Property Value 2022

±$4,980

$51,384

Median Property Taxes

±$1,650

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Benton County, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Benton County, WA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

68.1%

Homeownership

2022

68.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 68.1% of the housing units in Benton County, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 68.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Benton County, WA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 108.11
Census Tract 108.14
Census Tract 107.07

In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Benton County, WA was Census Tract 108.11 with a value of $191,023, followed by Census Tract 108.14 and Census Tract 107.07, with respective values of $158,625 and $136,739.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Benton County, WA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$83,778

Median Household Income

± $1,849

75.5k

Number of Households

± 2,179

In 2022, the median household income of the 75.5k households in Benton County, WA grew to $83,778 from the previous year's value of $76,612.

The following chart displays the households in Benton County, WA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Benton County, WA is from Washington.

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2021 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2022, the income inequality in Washington was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.285% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Washington in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Washington across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022

Drove Alone (76.9%)
Carpooled (10.4%)
Worked At Home (9.99%)

In 2022, 76.9% of workers in Benton County, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.4%) and those who worked at home (9.99%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Benton County, WA have a shorter commute time (22.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 1.74% of the workforce in Benton County, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Benton County, WA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Benton County, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Benton County, WA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 13.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Benton County, WA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.742%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

10.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Benton County, WA (21.6k out of 206k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Benton County, WA is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 13.4% of the children was living in poverty in Benton County, WA. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 7.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

92% of the population of Benton County, WA has health coverage, with 48.5% on employee plans, 19.1% on Medicaid, 11.2% on Medicare, 12.1% on non-group plans, and 1.16% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Benton County, WA see 1395 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.357% decrease from the previous year (1400 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1410 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 305 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,395 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Benton County, WA

Primary care physicians in Benton County, WA see an average of 1,395 patients per year. This represents a 0.357% decrease from the previous year (1,400 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Benton County, WA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.8% under 18 years, 20.7% between 18 and 34 years, 36.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

Uninsured

48.5%

Employer Coverage

19.1%

Medicaid

11.2%

Medicare

12.1%

Non-Group

1.16%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Benton County, WA grew by 5.92% from 7.56% to 8%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Benton County, WA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 43.1 in Benton County, WA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Benton County, WA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 33.2% in Benton County, WA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Benton County, WA.