• county
  • FIPS 53005
  • Largest town: Kennewick

Benton County, Washington

Benton County had 218,190 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,700.1 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 39 in Washington by population and 22nd by land area.

Population
218,190
#10 of 39 in Washington · #326 in US
Area
1,700.1 sq mi
#22 of 39 in Washington · #355 in US
Density
128 / sq mi
#9 of 39 in Washington · #762 in US
Median household income
$83,040
#11 of 39 in Washington · #369 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Benton County within Washington. Pin: Olympia.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Benton County

Benton County population, land area and income

Benton County had 218,190 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,700.1 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 39 in Washington by population and 22nd by land area. That works out to 128.3 people per square mile, 1.3 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Washington has 69,632 residents, so Benton County is 3.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $83,040 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

218,190

3144th1st

326th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,700 sq mi

3144th1st

355th of 3,144 (US)

Density

128.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

762nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$83,040

3143rd1st

369th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Washington (39)

Population

218,190

39th1st

10th of 39 (WA)

Land area

1,700 sq mi

39th1st

22nd of 39 (WA)

Density

128.3 / sq mi

39th1st

9th of 39 (WA)

Median household income

$83,040

39th1st

11th of 39 (WA)

How Benton County's population changed since 2020

Benton County gained 10,764 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.2%. That ranks 11th of 39 in Washington for growth. The median Washington county changed by +3.2%, and the state as a whole by +3.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Benton County recorded 10,355 births and 8,116 deaths, a natural change of +2,239. Net international migration added +2,752 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +6,358. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 6,358 people.

207.4k2020210.6k2021212.8k2022215.4k2023218.2k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
10,355
Deaths
8,116
Net international migration
+2,752
Net domestic migration
+6,358
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,745

Where Benton County is

The Census internal point of Benton County is at 46.228100, -119.516700. It sits in UTM zone 11N. The map shades Washington's 39 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Benton County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

King County: +2.9%Thurston County: +2.3%Garfield County: +4.7%Adams County: +2.1%Kitsap County: +2.0%Mason County: +5.5%Stevens County: +5.2%Walla Walla County: -0.9%Whitman County: +1.2%Pierce County: +1.9%Benton County: +5.2%Columbia County: +1.8%Skamania County: +5.1%Douglas County: +6.4%Kittitas County: +2.9%Klickitat County: +5.7%Pacific County: +3.2%Grant County: +5.3%Grays Harbor County: +2.7%Jefferson County: +2.7%Lincoln County: +8.6%San Juan County: +4.7%Skagit County: +2.2%Island County: -0.6%Ferry County: +4.8%Chelan County: +2.4%Clark County: +4.3%Asotin County: +0.9%Franklin County: +4.2%Whatcom County: +3.3%Snohomish County: +4.1%Pend Oreille County: +6.1%Yakima County: +0.7%Clallam County: +0.8%Wahkiakum County: +7.9%Spokane County: +2.7%Okanogan County: +6.6%Cowlitz County: +2.7%Lewis County: +5.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +2.7%
  3. < +4.2%
  4. < +5.3%
  5. ≥ +5.3%
no data

Orange pin: Benton County internal point. Dark pin: Olympia.

Internal point

Decimal
46.228100, -119.516700
DMS
46°13'41.16"N 119°31'0.12"W
UTM
11N 305931.0E 5122470.2N
Geohash
c25nbrdd5
Plus code
85R26FHM+68

Towns in Benton County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Benton County, 180,336 people together, or 83% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Benton County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Kennewick with 86,728.

  1. 01Kennewick86,728
  2. 02Richland64,372
  3. 03West Richland18,820
  4. 04Prosser6,540
  5. 05Benton City3,876
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Benton County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Benton County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Yakima County, WA, with 258,523 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Olympia and the nearest big city

Olympia is 169.9 miles WNW of Benton County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Spokane, WA (population 230,609), 139.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is West Richland, WA (population 18,820), 8.5 miles away.

Benton County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Benton County is 53005: state code 53 for Washington plus county code 005. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $83,040.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Benton County, Washington?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 218,190. That is up 10,764 people (5.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 207,426.

What is the FIPS code of Benton County?

53005. The first two digits (53) are Washington; the last three (005) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Benton County?

Kennewick, with 86,728 residents inside Benton County in 2024.

Which counties border Benton County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Yakima County, WA; Grant County, WA; Franklin County, WA; Umatilla County, OR; Walla Walla County, WA; Klickitat County, WA; Morrow County, OR.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.