Benton County, Washington: Diversifying Metro county. In 2024, voted R+22%. Republican peak: R+41 in 1928.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+22MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 212,9052024 5-year
- Median household income
- $89,8742024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 69.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.7%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 25.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+20 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+41 in 1928MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- York County, SC · similarity 0.99
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Benton CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Benton County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | No data |
| 1896 | No data |
| 1900 | No data |
| 1904 | No data |
| 1908 | −27.6% |
| 1912 | +13.4% |
| 1916 | −3.4% |
| 1920 | −26.7% |
| 1924 | −34.4% |
| 1928 | −41.4% |
| 1932 | +20.4% |
| 1936 | +17.5% |
| 1940 | −5.0% |
| 1944 | +4.0% |
| 1948 | +18.0% |
| 1952 | −15.1% |
| 1956 | −8.0% |
| 1960 | −4.9% |
| 1964 | +17.4% |
| 1968 | −13.2% |
| 1972 | −28.6% |
| 1976 | −31.3% |
| 1980 | −38.7% |
| 1984 | −39.7% |
| 1988 | −31.5% |
| 1992 | −12.2% |
| 1996 | −10.9% |
| 2000 | −31.5% |
| 2004 | −34.1% |
| 2008 | −26.1% |
| 2012 | −26.6% |
| 2016 | −24.9% |
| 2020 | −21.0% |
| 2024 | −21.7% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 37,662 | 59,555 | 100,693 | ||
| R | 38,706 | 60,365 | 103,033 | ||
| R | 26,360 | 47,194 | 83,592 | ||
| R | 28,145 | 49,461 | 80,217 | ||
| R | 26,288 | 45,345 | 72,911 | ||
| R | 21,549 | 44,350 | 66,892 | ||
| R | 19,512 | 38,367 | 59,779 | ||
| R | 20,783 | 26,664 | 53,803 | ||
| R | 16,459 | 22,883 | 52,602 | ||
| R | 14,817 | 28,688 | 44,016 | ||
| R | 13,784 | 32,307 | 46,631 | ||
| R | 11,561 | 28,728 | 44,413 | ||
| R | 11,306 | 22,135 | 34,611 | ||
| R | 9,824 | 18,517 | 30,346 | ||
| R | 10,878 | 14,659 | 28,579 | ||
| D | 16,650 | 11,708 | 28,372 | ||
| R | 12,518 | 13,797 | 26,344 | ||
| R | 11,760 | 13,807 | 25,571 | ||
| R | 9,889 | 13,412 | 23,364 | ||
| D | 8,458 | 5,852 | 14,467 | ||
| D | 4,233 | 3,905 | 8,172 | ||
| R | 2,414 | 2,670 | 5,139 | ||
| D | 2,402 | 1,610 | 4,527 | ||
| D | 2,633 | 1,694 | 4,597 | ||
| R | 1,080 | 2,650 | 3,789 | ||
| R | 437 | 1,812 | 3,997 | ||
| R | 975 | 2,001 | 3,847 | ||
| R | 1,351 | 1,460 | 3,214 | ||
| O | 1,238 | 728 | 3,809 | ||
| R | 465 | 891 | 1,543 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
16.5%
English
14.4%
Irish
9.6%
American
4.5%
Scottish
2.8%
Italian
2.3%
French
2.3%
African American
1.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 36.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$89,874
Benton County ranks in the top 10% of US counties.
Benton County$89,874
Washington$98,141
United States$80,734
Benton County ranks in the top 10% of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
11.0%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1813.5%
Working age (18–64)10.1%
Seniors (65+)10.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
78.4%
speak English only
Spanish16.8%
Other Indo-European2.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.8%
Other languages0.9%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 46.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco, Benton County's economy is shaped by the Hanford nuclear site and agricultural trade, producing a consistently Republican-leaning electorate that held its R+21 margin through 2024.
The Democratic margin here reached twenty points in 1932. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved one point toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-two points.
A population of 212,905, a 70% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $89,874 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of York County and Benton County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Benton County, Washington. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/53005/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More diversifying metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Benton County, Washington vote in 2024?
In 2024, Benton County, Washington voted Republican by 21.7 points (R+22), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 100,693 votes cast, 37,662 went Democratic and 59,555 went Republican.
What is Benton County, Washington's political typology?
Akashic places Benton County, Washington in the "Diversifying Metro" typology — Mid-size metropolitan counties growing more diverse and trending Democratic. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 24 times, and other 1 times.
When did Benton County, Washington last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Benton County, Washington voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Benton County, Washington?
Benton County, Washington has a population of 212,905 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Benton County, Washington?
Median household income in Benton County, Washington is $89,874 — above the national median of $80,734. The Washington state median is $98,141.
What is the political history of Benton County, Washington?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Benton County, Washington from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 24 went Republican. The county's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.