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Towns / Washington

Benton City, Washington

Benton City is a small town of about 4,000 people in Benton County, Washington. It's growing fast: its population is up 15% since 2020. A typical home costs about 5.6 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Portland, is about 161 miles away as the crow flies.

Boom town

Population
4,019
up 15% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$355,200
Benton County prices up 8.2% since 2022
Household income
$63,542
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Kennewick area
100.1
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
9 miles
Richland, WA
To Portland
161 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 0.1% above the U.S. average in the Kennewick-Richland metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.6 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Benton City itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close byKadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, about 9 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityPortland is about 161 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Benton City meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 15% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$355,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 8.2%Benton County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$848 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$63,542U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
72%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$2,262 a yearWashington: $4,556
Homes built before 1940
5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
30%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
100.1U.S. average = 100 (the Kennewick-Richland metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 8.2% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Kennewick-Richland metro area, not Benton City alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
4,0192020: 3,487
Median age
29.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
8%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
29%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
11%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
1%U.S.: 6%
College students
6%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Construction (14%); farming, forestry and mining (13%)
Unemployment rate
8%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
28 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
9%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
11%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Richland, WA, about 9 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Benton City, run by Kiona-Benton City School District.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Washington's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
70%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
89%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
29°F
July average high
89°F
Days 90°F or hotter
39 a year
Nights at or below freezing
91 a year
Rain and melted snow
11.1 inches a year
Snow
2 inches a year
Elevation
466 feet

Weather stations: Richland (11 miles away) and Ice Harbor Dam (29 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Richland, Portland.

Benton County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Manhattan Project National Historical Park23 miles
  • Whitman Mission National Historic Site50 miles

Read about Benton City's history on Wikipedia.

Know Benton City?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • West Pasco, WA (unincorporated)1,122 people, 14 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.