Jobs, pay and daily life in Kennewick, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Kennewick is a city in Washington with 85,295 residents. The median household earns $73,576 a year and the median rent is $1,240 a month, which is 20.2% of the median household income. It is part of the Kennewick-Richland, WA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 129,490 jobs.
How Kennewick compares. Among the 80 largest places in Washington, Kennewick is #15 by population, #9 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #69 for household income (#1 = highest), #69 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Benton County, is #6 of 39 counties for average pay ($70,807).
Kennewick has 85,295 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.1% of the population of Washington. It covers 29 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,992 people per square mile. The median age is 35.7, 7% younger than the state median (35.7 against 38.3).
The median gross rent is $1,240 a month (rent plus utilities), 30% below the state median ($1,240 against $1,760). Over a year that is 20.2% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $370,700, which is 5.0 times the median household income ($73,576); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 61.3% of households own their home, 4% below the state average (61.3% against 63.8%).
The Kennewick-Richland, WA metropolitan area has 129,490 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $57,290 a year, 12% above the national median ($57,290 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (13,530 jobs, median $51,530); transportation and material moving (11,880 jobs, median $46,310); food preparation and serving related (10,830 jobs, median $38,880). The area is most specialised in construction and extraction (1.7 times) and healthcare support (1.2 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($154,850) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($103,610). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Benton County was 3.5%. 59.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Benton County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 75.9% drive alone, 1.7% use public transit, 0.9% walk, 9.7% work from home. 12.0% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 29% below the state average (12.0% against 16.9%).
26.2% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 34% below the state share (26.2% against 39.6%). 14.1% of residents were born outside the United States, 8% below the state share (14.1% against 15.4%). The poverty rate is 14.3%, 45% above the state rate (14.3% against 9.9%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 77°F (25.1°C), and the coolest is Dec at 34°F (1.3°C). About 277 mm (11 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (42 mm) and Jul the driest (4 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Pasco (5 miles, similar rent); Richland (8 miles, rent 18% higher); Hermiston (26 miles, rent 12% lower); Pendleton (40 miles, rent 23% lower). Rent differences are against Kennewick; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Washington (1,198) →State guide: WashingtonCountry guideBenton CountyWashington rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,198 federal postings open in Washington (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Washington →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 4,800 | 1.34 | $47,810 | $38,610 | $48,170 | +34% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 4,120 | 1.28 | $36,410 | $34,900 | $44,410 | +17% |
| Retail Salespersons | 3,580 | 1.10 | $37,600 | $35,510 | $50,710 | +6% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,560 | 0.91 | $106,410 | $83,900 | $155,410 | +9% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,540 | 1.08 | $38,940 | $35,950 | $48,670 | +4% |
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 2,470 | 11.17 | $42,340 | $35,460 | $44,270 | +19% |
| Cashiers | 2,450 | 0.95 | $36,610 | $35,000 | $43,920 | +11% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 2,450 | 2.07 | $45,510 | $37,440 | $50,950 | +24% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,100 | 1.22 | $62,520 | $48,430 | $87,910 | +7% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,930 | 0.94 | $49,470 | $37,980 | $71,610 | +10% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,840 | 0.75 | $44,380 | $36,100 | $57,260 | +10% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,760 | 0.96 | $44,680 | $36,620 | $59,760 | +21% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,550 | 0.53 | $130,460 | $74,760 | $244,450 | +23% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,510 | 0.80 | $51,460 | $35,340 | $89,410 | +46% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,450 | 1.02 | $53,140 | $43,770 | $73,610 | +12% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,410 | 1.22 | $100,380 | $66,380 | $115,980 | +57% |
| Carpenters | 1,310 | 2.36 | $64,320 | $49,240 | $118,740 | +6% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,290 | 0.60 | $45,380 | $38,010 | $62,660 | +1% |
| Project Management Specialists | 1,260 | 1.42 | $125,940 | $72,450 | $182,850 | +23% |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 1,240 | 1.92 | $47,950 | $37,640 | $61,340 | +3% |
These figures are for the whole Kennewick-Richland, WA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $57,290 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 21.9% |
| Retail trade | 13.1% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.6% |
| Construction | 8.7% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 8.1% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 7.5% |
| Manufacturing | 7.2% |
| Other services | 5.5% |
| Public administration | 5.2% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 3.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.4% |
| Information | 1.0% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Kennewick lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County | 212,905 | $16,919 million | $79,468 | 98,668 | 5,416 | $70,807 | +0.9% | 3.5% | 105,654 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 15,648 | 18.2% | $63,224 | 1.11 |
| Administrative and waste services | 10,878 | 12.7% | $102,509 | 1.87 |
| Retail trade | 10,056 | 11.7% | $39,440 | 1.02 |
| Professional and technical services | 9,854 | 11.5% | $121,278 | 1.44 |
| Construction | 8,262 | 9.6% | $87,388 | 1.60 |
| Accommodation and food services | 7,978 | 9.3% | $28,107 | 0.89 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 6,817 | 7.9% | $36,516 | 8.54 |
| Manufacturing | 4,679 | 5.4% | $70,497 | 0.58 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,161 | 2.5% | $43,608 | 0.73 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,036 | 2.4% | $91,052 | 0.51 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,498 | 1.7% | $62,264 | 0.36 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,450 | 1.7% | $76,653 | 0.37 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,411 | 1.6% | $23,408 | 0.85 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,120 | 1.3% | $45,516 | 0.73 |
| Management of companies | 702 | 0.8% | $102,482 | 0.42 |
| Educational services | 649 | 0.8% | $32,454 | 0.32 |
| Information | 631 | 0.7% | $74,781 | 0.34 |
| Utilities | 155 | 0.2% | $118,987 | 0.41 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 75.9% |
| Public transit | 1.7% |
| Walk | 0.9% |
| Work from home | 9.7% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 12.0% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,576 |
| Income per person | $35,776 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,240 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 20.2% |
| Median home value | $370,700 |
| Homeowners | 61.3% |
| Poverty rate | 14.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 100.1 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $57,290 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 35.7 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 86.4% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 26.2% |
| Born abroad | 14.1% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 59.4% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.4 | 35 | 36 |
| Feb | 3.5 | 38 | 25 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 46 | 27 |
| Apr | 11.2 | 52 | 24 |
| May | 16.5 | 62 | 27 |
| Jun | 20.3 | 69 | 21 |
| Jul | 25.1 | 77 | 4 |
| Aug | 24.2 | 76 | 7 |
| Sep | 18.9 | 66 | 11 |
| Oct | 11.8 | 53 | 24 |
| Nov | 5.5 | 42 | 29 |
| Dec | 1.3 | 34 | 42 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasco | WA | 5 mi | 79,575 | $85,586 | $1,227 |
| Richland | WA | 8 mi | 62,753 | $95,813 | $1,468 |
| Hermiston | OR | 26 mi | 19,546 | $66,998 | $1,088 |
| Pendleton | OR | 40 mi | 16,950 | $66,563 | $956 |
| Walla Walla | WA | 41 mi | 33,925 | $66,748 | $1,323 |
| Moses Lake | WA | 64 mi | 26,083 | $74,752 | $1,216 |
| Yakima | WA | 71 mi | 96,961 | $62,815 | $1,117 |
| La Grande | OR | 80 mi | 13,058 | $58,427 | $968 |
| Ellensburg | WA | 86 mi | 20,874 | $55,438 | $1,340 |
| Wenatchee | WA | 101 mi | 35,484 | $73,040 | $1,248 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
85,295 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,240 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 20.2% of the median household income.
$73,576 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.5% (BLS county, Benton County (latest month 2026M09)).
Washington. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.