What is the cost of living in Kennewick-Richland?

Kennewick-Richland has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 100.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 94.8, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,538/month.

What is the median salary in Kennewick-Richland?

The median salary in Kennewick-Richland is $78,814 annually (mean: $81,823). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is Kennewick-Richland?

The violent crime rate in the Kennewick-Richland area is 329 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2498 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Kennewick-Richland?

The state of WA has 2,465 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.6:1. Charter schools make up 0.6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Kennewick-Richland?

Infant center-based childcare in the Kennewick-Richland area averages $15,987 per year. Preschool averages $12,531/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Kennewick-Richland a good place to relocate?

Kennewick-Richland has a Life Score of 49.7/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Kennewick-Richland sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Kennewick-Richland ranks #195 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Kennewick-Richland, WA

BEA RPP 100.1 ranks #300 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

100.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,538
2BR rent / mo: $78,814
Median salary: 51.4
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Kennewick-Richland ranks #195 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (51.4/100), with its strongest marks in job market and air quality.

#195
of 387 US metros · Near median: 7,958,180
metro-area population: 329
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,465
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (18/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Kennewick-Richland ranks #195 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 100.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,538/mo, median salary $78,814; LiveAbility Score 51.4/100, strongest in job market and air quality.

Signature: BEA RPP 100.1 ranks #300 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 100.1 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,538/mo.

LiveAbility 51.4/100 keeps Kennewick-Richland in the middle third (#195 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Kennewick-Richland area is 120,710.

Kennewick-Richland vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

51 Top 50% higher than 50% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Kennewick-Richland housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Kennewick-Richland MSA; housing RPP 94.8 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,538/mo.

Studio

$1,122

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,268

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,538

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,071

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,385

/month

Kennewick-Richland wages and employment

Kennewick-Richland posts 120,710 total employment with median salary $78,814 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$78,814

Mean Salary

$81,823

Total Employment

120,710

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$47,810
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$36,410
Retail Salespersons	$37,600
Registered Nurses	$106,410
Stockers and Order Fillers	$38,940

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Kennewick-Richland area from NCES.

Schools

2,465

Enrollment

1,092,149

Student:Teacher

17.6:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Kennewick-Richland area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$15,987

per year

Toddler (Center)

$12,531

per year

Preschool (Center)

$12,531

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Kennewick-Richland's composite Life Score is 49.7/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

23/100

Weak

Wages

98/100

Elite

Rent

29/100

Weak

Crime

47/100

Average

Schools

71/100

Strong

Childcare

13/100

Bottom decile

Environment

58/100

Above average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Kennewick-Richland ranks #195 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 51.4/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (98/100)

Job market

98
Air quality

90
Low hazard

88
Safety

47
Housing

29
Schools

29
Cost of living

23
Climate

18

What this shows Kennewick-Richland's strongest dimensions are job market and air quality; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 18/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Kennewick-Richland to

Spartanburg Spokane-Spokane Valley Springfield Springfield Springfield Springfield

Metros near Kennewick-Richland on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Kennewick-Richland on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Kennewick-Richland cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Kennewick-Richland wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Kennewick-Richland?

Kennewick-Richland runs a $78,814 median salary at a 100.1 cost index, ranking #195 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Kennewick-Richland's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Kennewick-Richland head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Kennewick-Richland
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.