Tri-Cities metro anchors a rare Republican lean in western-state Washington
Kennewick-Richland sits at the confluence of three rivers in the arid Columbia Basin, where the federal Hanford nuclear site drives a high-skilled workforce that has kept the metro reliably Republican even as Washington's statewide margins trend Democratic.
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | 213K | R+21.7 | 37,662 | 59,555 | 100,693 | 19.0% |
| Benton | 188K | R+21.7 | 37,662 | 59,555 | 100,693 | 19.0% |
| Benton | 161K | R+21.7 | 37,662 | 59,555 | 100,693 | 19.0% |
| Benton | 142K | R+21.7 | 37,662 | 59,555 | 100,693 | 19.0% |
| Franklin | 99K | R+22.6 | 11,884 | 19,086 | 31,897 | 6.0% |
| Franklin | 88K | R+22.6 | 11,884 | 19,086 | 31,897 | 6.0% |
| Franklin | 70K | R+22.6 | 11,884 | 19,086 | 31,897 | 6.0% |
| Franklin | 49K | R+22.6 | 11,884 | 19,086 | 31,897 | 6.0% |
| Group | Local | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 63.7% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(18) | 29.1% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 2.4% | 6.0% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.2% | 4.0% |
▶Black / African American(10) | 1.6% | 12.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(6) | 0.9% | 0.9% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(9) | 0.5% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(5) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.3% | 35.9% | — | — | |
| 18.1% | 35.5% | — | — | |
| 12.6% | 24.7% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 10.1% | 19.8% | — | — |
| 1.8% | 3.6% | — | — | |
| 0.1% | 0.3% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 48.9% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Kennewick-Richland, WA metro area? 1,009,792 residents across 8 counties.
26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 7pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+3 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate vs Governor | R+18.6 | R+27.5 | 8.9pp |
| President vs Governor | R+21.9 | R+27.5 | 5.6pp |
| President vs Senate | R+21.9 | R+18.6 | 3.4pp |