The story of this market
The typical home in Benton County, Washington sells for about $448,649, or $267 per square foot.
Prices are up +3.1% from a year ago, so sellers still have some momentum. Homes take about 25 days to sell, which is fast. Over the long run, values in this county have grown 215% since 2000. Last year 28 of 42 neighborhoods saw prices rise, so the story isn't the same street to street. The biggest natural hazard here is wildfire, which FEMA rates relatively high. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $1,487 a month.
HUD sets the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom at $1,487 a month. FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall hazard risk here as Relatively Low.
Price climate
Every year of price change, 2000–2025
+1.6%
2025
Each stripe is one year's median price change across the area's census tracts (FHFA repeat-sales index). Deep blue is a strong gain year, red a falling year. Best: 2022 (+17.2%). Worst: 2011 (-1%). Hover to read a year.
Monthly price momentum
Home values since 2015
-0.2%
WA · past 12 months
Freddie Mac House Price Index, single-family homes, monthly through 2026-08. Each line starts at 100 in January 2015, so a reading of 180 means prices are up 80% since then.
Rent benchmark
Fair market rent by size
$2,051
3-bed / month
HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal 2027, for this county. A typical rent for a modest unit, used to set housing-voucher payments.
Neighborhood price trend
Long-run price trend, 2000–2025
+1.6%
2025 change
FHFA repeat-sales index, median of 42 census tracts in this county (2000 = 100). Bars are each year's median change.
Natural hazard exposure
The area's risk shape
54
Relatively Low
FEMA National Risk Index. Each spoke is a hazard ranked nationally, where 100 is the most exposed. Expected annual loss: $69,839,284.
Mortgage activity
Home lending in this county
83.3%
2018 approval rate
| Year | Applications | Loans made | Approval | Investor share | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 10930 | 6559 | 83.3% | 4.2% | $255,000 |
CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records: every mortgage application reported by lenders for homes in this county. Approval rate is approved ÷ decided (withdrawn and incomplete files excluded). Investor share and home value are the median census tract.
Benton County, Washington
Benton County's residential market maintains moderate appreciation and steady buyer demand supported by stable high-wage employment in scientific research, healthcare, and federal clean-energy contracting. Inventory has normalized back toward a balanced 4 months of supply, preventing sharp price runups while allowing properties priced correctly to sell within roughly three to four weeks. The broader Kennewick-Richland regional economy continues to buffer the local housing sector against more severe cyclical slowdowns.
No ARED distress-ledger coverage for this county yet — the foreclosure ingest rotates the national county directory, and filings appear here once the county's posted notices are read. Key-figure check: no independent anchor retained yet — first-researched cycles establish the anchor baseline this pass.
Select a city to expand its ZIP intel reports beneath · 8 cities · 10 ZIP reports
Median prices moved up 0.5% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 74 days on market with 0.1 months of supply — a fast-moving market.
1% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 98.92% of asking — demand is running ahead of supply.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 4.5% · poverty 10.4% — a stable, low-distress profile.
ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Aggregate published statistics for this county — never individual records, and never an attribute of any individual property or resident.
Owned and leased federal assets with active or excess status, per the General Services Administration's Real Estate Across the United States inventory (read 2026-09-25). A federal footprint read on this county — not a market valuation, and never an attribute of any individual property or tenant.
Deterministic aggregate of 10 researched ZIP reports — sales_count-weighted (population fallback); per point, children lacking the value or its weight are excluded. Tax rates, sentiment and context notes are tier-native and never roll.
Benton County, Washington — researched county-level history with a deterministic 1 / 3 / 5-year projection
Solid: researched ten-year history · dotted: 1 / 3 / 5-year projection extended from the historical 9.0%/yr trend — a deterministic estimate, not a published forecast or guarantee.
No researched properties in this county yet — the property base layer populates as property research runs, and each property feeds its ZIP's roll-up.
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| 99320 | Benton City | $457,450 | $235 | +1.1% | 54 | 100% | 9.7% | 2.3 | 110 | $1,650 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99336 | — | $365,000 | $253 | +0.9% | 33 | 99% | 36.6% | 2.5 | 166 | $1,995 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99337 | Kennewick | $419,983 | $243 | +0.4% | 75 | 100% | — | — | 215 | $1,600 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99338 | Kennewick | $512,000 | $245 | -0.4% | 33 | — | — | — | 282 | $1,487 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99345 | Paterson (CDP) | $398,450 | $234 | — | 36 | 96.1% | — | 5.6 | 28 | $1,600 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99346 | Plymouth (CDP) | $449,900 | $254 | +3.4% | 46 | 99.4% | 34.1% | 3 | 76 | $1,450 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99350 | Prosser | $449,900 | $254 | +0.3% | 46 | 99.4% | 34% | 3 | 159 | $1,240 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99352 | Richland | $506,000 | $235 | +5.3% | 46 | 98.5% | 15% | 3.2 | 206 | $1,850 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99353 | West Richland | $499,000 | $257 | +2.4% | 52 | 98.5% | 20.2% | 3.5 | 192 | $2,000 | researched Sep 26 |
| 99354 | Richland | $484,856 | $231 | +15.4% | 64 | — | — | — | 77 | $1,487 | researched Sep 26 |
Figures are each ZIP report's own latest research — the county roll-up aggregates them sales_count-weighted (population fallback); ZIPs cycle quarterly.
Benton County experiences property and violent crime rates that track below Washington state averages, though higher activity concentrations occur in core urbanized sections of Kennewick. Overall public safety ratings across suburban Richland, West Richland, and rural viticultural communities consistently trend favorable relative to statewide metropolitan benchmarks.
Public education across Benton County is anchored primarily by Kennewick School District and Richland School District, both delivering solid graduation rates, competitive AP participation, and regional STEM academies. Smaller community districts like Prosser and Kiona-Benton offer tighter student-teacher ratios alongside established career-connected learning pathways.
The region features a semi-arid steppe climate with minimal severe river flooding outside immediate Columbia or Yakima River floodplains, though localized summer wildfire smoke and seasonal rangeland fire risks on surrounding ridges are persistent. Severe wind events occur seasonally through the Columbia Basin, while homeowner insurance markets remain generally stable compared to coastal and forested mountain zones.
Economic expansion is spearheaded by federal research and environmental remediation at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Hanford reservation, complemented by thriving agricultural processing and viticulture. Capital infrastructure projects, expanded healthcare hubs, and light industrial developments around Horn Rapids and Badger Canyon continue driving regional population inflow.
Property taxes in Benton County are based on annual 100% fair market value assessments governed by Washington's statutory budget-based levy framework, with individual taxing districts subject to a 1% annual revenue growth cap without voter approval. Aggregate levy rates typically range between $9.50 and $11.50 per $1,000 of assessed value depending on city, school district, and special emergency levies, with property tax exemptions available for qualified seniors and disabled individuals.
Outdoor lifestyle assets center on the confluence of the Columbia, Yakima, and Snake rivers, offering miles of waterfront walking trails, motorized boating, and fishing. The county also features prominent hiking at Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve, championship golfing, and dozens of renowned tasting rooms throughout the Red Mountain and Yakima Valley American Viticultural Areas (AVAs).
The county's rental landscape demonstrates strong long-term occupancy driven by incoming STEM researchers, federal lab contractors, and healthcare professionals. Multi-family delivery has expanded steadily in Kennewick and southern Richland, maintaining median residential gross rents near moderate affordability thresholds with limited short-term vacation rental pressure outside wine-tourism nodes.
The county economy is supported by scientific research, federal clean-up contracting, advanced nuclear technology, viticulture, and diversified food processing. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Department of Energy's Hanford complex represent substantial employment anchors alongside Kadlec Regional Medical Center.
Interstate 82, Interstate 182, and State Route 240 form the high-capacity vehicle backbone connecting the county to Yakima, Oregon, and Eastern Washington. Ben Franklin Transit provides fixed-route bus services, paratransit, and vanpools connecting Kennewick, Richland, and neighboring Pasco.
City and county comprehensive plans prioritize infill revitalization at Kennewick's Vista Field, master-planned residential extensions in South Kennewick and Badger Mountain, and targeted industrial expansion in North Richland.
The Benton County Assessor reassesses real property annually to 100% true and fair market value based on statistical market modeling and scheduled cyclical physical inspections. Tax bills reflect budget-based levy apportionments constrained by Washington State RCW 84.55 statutory limits rather than straightforward assessment surges.
Parcels are served by specific overlapping districts including the Port of Kennewick, Port of Benton, Kennewick Public Hospital District, Benton County Fire Districts (1 through 6), and the Columbia Basin College taxing boundary.
Property insurance availability remains stable throughout urbanized Tri-Cities corridors, though homes bordering semi-arid grasslands or sagebrush ridges face scrutiny regarding defensible space against brushfires. Premium adjustments mirror broader Pacific Northwest trends with low exposure to catastrophic hurricane or coastal surge liabilities.
- QUAKE Family Fun Center4.313.8 mi
- Chuck E. Cheese415.5 mi
- Max Air Trampoline Park4.214.9 mi
- Gesa Carousel of Dreams4.817.8 mi
- Atomic Escape Rooms4.814.4 mi
- Toyota Center4.415.2 mi
- HAPO Center4.315.9 mi
- Three Rivers Convention Center4.615.2 mi
- Benton County Fairgrounds4.421.1 mi
- Gesa Stadium4.616.1 mi
- Howard Amon Park4.711.5 mi
- Fairchild Cinemas4.710.1 mi
- Hanford Site3.916.2 mi
- Leslie Groves Park4.611.4 mi
- Country Mercantile4.79.9 mi
- Hanford Site3.916.2 mi
- REACH Museum4.614.7 mi
- Manhattan Project National Historical Park Hanford; Branch B Reactor--Headquarters4.69.6 mi
- Cafe con Arte4.820.5 mi
- Manhattan Project National Historical Park - B Reactor4.922.7 mi
- Howard Amon Park4.711.5 mi
- Leslie Groves Park4.611.4 mi
- Badger Mountain Trailhead4.810.8 mi
- Lawrence Scott Park4.415.7 mi
- Columbia Point Marina Park4.612.7 mi
- Umatilla Marina Park4.428.3 mi
- Horn Rapids Golf Course4.38.7 mi
- Sun Willows Golf Course4.419.1 mi
- Canyon Lakes Golf Course4.518.5 mi
- Zintel Creek Golf Course4.418.4 mi
- Columbia Point Golf Course4.212.3 mi
- Columbia Center4.214.5 mi
- WinCo Foods4.516.9 mi
- Fred Meyer4.418.2 mi
- WinCo Foods4.411.9 mi
- Fred Meyer4.311 mi
- Tri-Cities Airport4.418.7 mi
Theme parks, venues, golf, airports, museums, water and shopping across the area from Google Maps, ranked by popularity within the radius shown.
The amenity base that shapes daily life and property demand in this county — what residents actually live with, and what the pipeline is adding.
A 574-acre park offering multiple non-motorized hiking trails with sweeping panoramic views of the Tri-Cities, Columbia River, and distant Cascade peaks.
A 400-acre regional riverside park in Kennewick spanning 4.5 miles of Columbia River frontage with disc golf, fishing ponds, boat launches, and community event grounds.
An interpretative center dedicated to the geological history of the Ice Age Floods, Manhattan Project history, and the Hanford Reach National Monument.
A premier American Viticultural Area nestled between Benton City and Richland, internationally acclaimed for high-end Cabernet Sauvignon and boutique tasting rooms.
A 6,000-seat multi-purpose entertainment facility hosting WHL Tri-City Americans ice hockey, concerts, touring expos, and regional community gatherings.
Retrieved from Census ACS 5-year tables for Benton County, WA (FIPS 53005).