Benton County, WA

County

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    2024 Population
    212,905
    US Senator
    Patty Murray
    Democratic Party
    US Senator
    Maria Cantwell
    Democratic Party
    2024 Median Age
    36.3
    0.276% 1-year increase
    2024 Poverty Rate
    11%
    0.648% 1-year decrease
    2024 Median Household Income
    $89,874
    2.93% 1-year growth
    2024 Median Property Value
    $407,800
    10.4% 1-year growth
    2024 Employed Population
    95,443
    0.208% 1-year growth

    About

    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.

    93.5% of the residents in Benton County, WA are U.S. citizens.

    The largest universities in Benton County, WA are Paul Mitchell the School-Richland (210 degrees awarded in 2024), Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology (64 degrees), and Pacific Northwest Christian College (19 degrees).

    In 2024, the median property value in Benton County, WA was $407,800, and the homeownership rate was 67.6%.

    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.

    United StatesWashingtonKennewick-Richland, WA

    Population & Diversity

    Benton County, WA is home to a population of 213k people, from which 93.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 11.4% of Benton County, WA residents were born outside of the country (24.2k people).

    In 2024, there were 6.24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (138k people) in Benton County, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 22.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 18k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    Population & Diversity

    Citizenship

    93.5%
    2024 Citizenship
    93.4%
    2023 Citizenship

    As of 2024, 93.5% of Benton County, WA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Benton County, WA was 93.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Benton County, WA
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      138k ± 717
    2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
      22.1k ± 2k
    3. Other (Hispanic)
      18k ± 2.05k
    25.6%
    Hispanic Population
    54.5k people

    In 2024, there were 6.24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (138k people) in Benton County, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 22.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 18k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    25.6% of the people in Benton County, WA are hispanic (54.5k people).

    The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Benton County, WA as a share of the total population.

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    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Washington.
    Most Common Origin
    1. Mexico
      247,954 ± 12,030 people
    2. India
      116,227 ± 8,308 people
    3. China
      94,449 ± 7,500 people

    In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 247,954 Washington residents, followed by India with 116,227 and China with 94,449.

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    Foreign-Born Population

    11.4%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    24.2k people
    11.2%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    23.6k people

    As of 2024, 11.4% of Benton County, WA residents (24.2k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Benton County, WA was 11.2%, 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.

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    Military

    Veterans

    Most Common Service Period
    1. Vietnam
      3,865 ± 467
    2. Gulf War (2001-)
      3,219 ± 527
    3. Gulf War (1990s)
      1,678 ± 336

    Benton County, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.2 times greater than any other conflict.

    The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Benton County, WA.

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    Health

    92.1% of the population of Benton County, WA has health coverage, with 47.6% on employee plans, 19.9% on Medicaid, 11.4% on Medicare, 12.2% on non-group plans, and 1.05% on military or VA plans.

    Primary care physicians in Benton County, WA see 1,419 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,419 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1400 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 258 patients per year.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

    Coverage

    Patient to Clinician Ratios

    1,419 to 1
    Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Benton County, WA

    Primary care physicians in Benton County, WA see an average of 1,419 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,419 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.

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    Health Care Diversity

    In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.6% under 18 years, 20.5% between 18 and 34 years, 36.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.8% over 64 years.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

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

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    Uninsured People

    7.92%
    Uninsured
    47.6%
    Employer Coverage
    19.9%
    Medicaid
    11.4%
    Medicare
    12.2%
    Non-Group
    1.05%
    Military or VA

    Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Benton County, WA grew by 4.96% from 7.54% to 7.92%.

    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.

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    Health Indicators

    Health Outcomes

    Indicator

    In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 5.19 in Benton County, WA.

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

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    Health Behaviors

    Indicator

    In 2025, 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 40% in Benton County, WA.

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

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    Clinical Care

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 8.3% in Benton County, WA.

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

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    Economy

    The economy of Benton County, WA employs 95.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Benton County, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (12,730 people), Retail Trade (10,474 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,126 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($114,385), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($103,490), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($90,181).

    Employment

    Occupations

    95.4k
    2024 Value
    ± 2,617
    0.208%
    1 Year growth
    ± 3.9%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Benton County, WA grew at a rate of 0.208%, from 95.2k employees to 95.4k employees.

    The most common job groups, by number of people living in Benton County, WA, are Management Occupations (10,290 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,127 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (8,194 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Benton County, WA.

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    Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

    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

    95.4k
    2024 Value
    ± 2,617
    0.208%
    1 Year growth
    ± 3.9%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Benton County, WA grew at a rate of 0.208%, from 95.2k employees to 95.4k employees.

    The most common employment sectors for those who live in Benton County, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (12,730 people), Retail Trade (10,474 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,126 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.

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    Median Earnings by Industry

    $65,714
    Median earning men ± $2,344
    $42,125
    Median earning women ± $1,479

    The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($105,475), Public Administration ($96,146), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($77,333).

    The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($72,522), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($61,176), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,042).

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    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.

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    Establishments by Size

    The industries with the most establishments
    1. 472
      Construction
    2. 319
      Health Care and Social Assistance
    3. 303
      Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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

    The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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    Payroll by Industry Sector

    The industries with the highest total annual payroll
    1. $947k
      Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
    2. $816k
      Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
    3. $804k
      Health Care and Social Assistance

    The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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    Civics

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

    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

    Voting results are not available for Benton County, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.
    2024 Election Results
    1. Kamala Harris (57.2%)
      Democratic Party
    2. Donald J. Trump (39%)
      Republican Party
    3. Robert Kennedy (1.4%)
      Independent Party

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

    The following chart shows the popular vote results in Washington for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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    Senator Elections

    US Senators from Washington

    Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.
    Patty Murray
    Senator from Washington3
    Assumed office on January 3, 1993
    Maria Cantwell
    Senator from Washington1
    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.

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    Education

    In 2024, universities in Benton County, WA awarded 293 degrees. The student population of Benton County, WA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 139 male students and 281 female students.

    Most students graduating from Universities in Benton County, WA are Hispanic or Latino (133 and 45.4%), White (113 and 38.6%), Two or More Races (27 and 9.22%), and Black or African American (7 and 2.39%).

    The largest universities in Benton County, WA by number of degrees awarded are Paul Mitchell the School-Richland (210 and 71.7%), Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology (64 and 21.8%), and Pacific Northwest Christian College (19 and 6.48%).

    The most popular majors in Benton County, WA are General Cosmetology (84 and 28.7%), Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (60 and 20.5%), and Nail Specialist & Manicurist (45 and 15.4%).

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Enrollments by Gender and Races

    In 2024 there were 420 students enrolled in Benton County, WA, 33.1% men and 66.9% women.

    By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 204 records, of which 67.2% were women and 32.8% men.

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    Completions

    Concentrations

    Most Common
    1. General Cosmetology
      84 degrees awarded
    2. Barbering
      36 degrees awarded
    3. Master Aesthetician
      19 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Benton County, WA was General Cosmetology with 84 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.

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    Universities

    Gender
    Race
    Largest Universities by degrees awarded
    1. Paul Mitchell the School-Richland
      210 degrees awarded
    2. Victoria's Academy of Cosmetology
      64 degrees awarded
    3. Pacific Northwest Christian College
      19 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Paul Mitchell the School-Richland with 210 degrees awarded.

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    Student Diversity

    In 2024, 42 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Benton County, WA, which is 0.167 times less than the 251 female students who received degrees in the same year.

    In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 133 degrees mean that there were 1.18 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 113 degrees awarded.

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    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.

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    Tuition

    Average Net Price by Sector

    Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($11,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

    Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($350) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

    Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($800) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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    Housing & Living

    The median property value in Benton County, WA was $407,800 in 2024, which is 1.23 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $369,400 to $407,800, a 10.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Benton County, WA is 67.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

    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.

    In 2025, 12.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Benton County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.816%.

    Housing

    Property

    $407,800
    Median Property Value 2024
    ±$7,426
    $52,779
    Median Property Taxes
    ±$1,710

    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.

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    Rent vs Own

    67.6%
    Homeownership
    2024
    68.7%
    Homeowners with Mortgage
    2024

    In 2024, 67.6% of the housing units in Benton County, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 68.5%.

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

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    Equity

    Household Income

    Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
    $89,874
    Median Household Income
    ± $2,080
    78k
    Number of Households
    ± 2,242

    In 2024, the median household income of the 78k households in Benton County, WA grew to $89,874 from the previous year's value of $87,316.

    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.

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    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Benton County, WA is from Washington.
    0.469
    2024 Wage GINI in Washington
    0.468
    2023 Wage GINI in Washington

    In 2024, the income inequality in Washington was 0.469 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0979% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

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    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (73.5%)
    2. Worked At Home (12.9%)
    3. Carpooled (10.5%)

    In 2024, 73.5% of workers in Benton County, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.9%) and those who carpooled to work (10.5%).

    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.

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    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 (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.43% 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.

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    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.

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    Poverty

    Severe Housing Problems

    In 2025, 12.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Benton County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.816%.

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

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    Poverty & Diversity

    11% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Benton County, WA (23.2k out of 211k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

    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.

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    Children in Poverty

    In 2025, 12.9% of the children was living in poverty in Benton County, WA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.1%.

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

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    Security

    Crimes & Accidents

    Indicator

    In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 195 in Benton County, WA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 41% per 100,000 population.

    The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

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