Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety37#9,905/15,637
Economy50#7,751/15,631
Housing44#8,428/14,977
Health57#6,785/15,609
Healthcare17#13,031/15,650
Environment17#12,803/15,453
Education3#15,188/15,649
Infrastructure85#2,283/15,650
Community6#14,675/15,651
Leisure & amenities15#13,376/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Pasco, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Franklin County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low6 mi
100/100Washington 29 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFranklin County value
Median Air Quality Index · low23
97/100Washington 382025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFranklin County value
Injury deaths · low57 /100k
91/100Washington 86 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low117 min
89/100Washington 156 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFranklin County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi
88/100Washington 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFranklin County value
New homes permitted · high9.9 /1k
88/100Washington 4.9 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Weaknesses

Reading scores · low2.33
1/100Washington 2.98United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Math scores · low2.33
1/100Washington 2.91United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high10.2 µg/m³
2/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFranklin County value
Primary care physicians · low19 /100k
4/100Washington 85 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
Social associations · low4.8 /10k
6/100Washington 8.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin County value
High school diploma or higher · low76.7%
7/100Washington 92.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
72,899 (2015-2019) → 79,575 (2020-2024)
+9.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.8% (2015-2019) → 93.9% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 4.4× (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$62,775 (2015-2019) → $85,586 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
New homes permittedImproving
7.5 /1k (2021) → 9.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+32%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
21.6% (2015-2019) → 15.7% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Pasco, Washington improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Child poverty−5.9 points21.6% → 15.7%
Household income+36%$62,775 → $85,586
Broadband+9.1 points84.8% → 93.9%
Bachelor's++3.1 points18.4% → 21.4%

Declined1

Price / income+1.2×3.2× → 4.4×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Pasco, Washington between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.7 min2015-2019	22.5 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.4%2015-2019	21.4%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	52%
Broadband subscriptions	84.8%2015-2019	93.9%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Improved	55%
Child poverty rate	21.6%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Improved	72%
Effective property tax rate	1.04%2015-2019	0.71%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	78%
High school diploma or higher	75.0%2015-2019	76.7%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	15%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4022015-2019	0.4112020-2024	+0.009	Within the margin of error	42%
Median household income	$62,7752015-2019	$85,5862020-2024	+36%	Improved	68%
Poverty rate	15.5%2015-2019	12.6%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Rent as share of income	30.5%2015-2019	31.2%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent-burdened households	51.3%2015-2019	52.7%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Unemployment rate	6.2%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.3%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	63%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Pasco, Washington five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Pasco, Washington in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Pasco, Washington itself moved +0.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

79,575 residents (±25)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−2.2 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

79,575 residents (±25)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

White34%27,029
Black1.8%1,468
Hispanic or Latino58%46,524

Education

46,094 residents (±614)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

No high school diploma23%10,744
High school or GED27%12,254
Some college19%8,845

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

24,748 households (±539)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

Under $25k11%2,768
$25k–50k16%4,057
$50k–75k16%3,895
$75k–100k14%3,563
$100k–150k22%5,330
$150k–200k8.8%2,181
$200k or more12%2,954

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+7.7 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

24,748 households (±539)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

Own71%17,556
Rent29%7,192

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

6,968 households (±622)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

Under $75015%1,041
$750–1,00019%1,298
$1,000–1,50029%2,002

Home values

17,556 homes (±738)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

Under $150k8.7%1,533
$150k–250k9.7%1,700
$250k–400k39%6,821

Age of homes

25,678 homes (±462)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

2010 or later24%6,159
2000–200927%7,040
1980–199914%3,644

Size of homes

25,678 homes (±462)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

Studio3.5%890
1 bedroom5.9%1,514
2 bedrooms15%3,974

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

35,588 workers (±1,308)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

Drive alone77%27,421
Carpool12%4,432
Public transit0.5%†187
Walk1.0%†372
Bike0.1%†19
Work from home7.7%2,756
Other1.1%†401

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+3.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

32,832 workers (±1,415)

Pasco, Washington
Washington share

Under 15 min28%9,074
15–29 min47%15,541
30–44 min13%4,362

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Kennewick-Richland, WA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Franklin County, the county holding most of Pasco's residents.

Franklin County has 1,968 employer establishments, 197 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248; 0.77× Washington's), with 24,069 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,863. The Census Bureau also counts 4,785 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,968; 4,785 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 197; US 248 · Washington 258
Paid employees: 24,069
Average annual pay: $53,863; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Franklin County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	266	26.7	1.72×More than typical	2,514	$66,977	249
Restaurants and other eating places	128	12.8	0.70×Fewer than typical	2,063	$26,241	24
Truck transportation	122	12.2	2.42×More than typical	954	$69,471	354
Ambulatory health care services	106	10.6	0.51×Fewer than typical	1,213	$59,014	137
Construction of buildings	106	10.6	1.41×More than typical	388	$58,585	118
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	104	10.4	3.31×More than typical	651	$49,263	47
Services to buildings and dwellings	98	9.8	1.46×More than typical	599	$40,174	243
Building finishing contractors	84	8.4	2.22×More than typical	435	$52,869	81
Lessors of real estate	67	6.7	0.55×Fewer than typical	225	$35,040	501
Child day care services	57	5.7	2.34×More than typical	323	$42,050	219
Automotive repair and maintenance	56	5.6	1.12×About typical	313	$43,508	92
Limited-service restaurants	55	5.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	1,202	$23,358	9

Rank places for an industry Open Franklin County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 99,683 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $79.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Pasco, Washington: $0.99 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $79.1K; −64% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.99; US $1,994
Sole-source: 23%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.6%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Agricultural Marketing Service$47.7K60%
Department of the Air Force$8,03510%
Federal Acquisition Service$6,4068.1%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$5,6807.2%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$4,7276.0%
Department of the Army$4,7196.0%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$1,0571.3%
Bureau of Reclamation$7490.9%

Top recipients

INN FOODS, INC.$47.7K60%
UNITED WESTERN TECHNOLOGIES CORP.$8,03510%
TELECOMMUNICATION UTILITY PROCUREMENT SERVICES LLC$6,4068.1%
PRO FIRE LLC$5,6807.2%
BROADMOOR RV SUPERSTORE INC.$4,7276.0%

Spending by fiscal year

919.3KFY2017
1.1MFY2018
772.6KFY2019
469.9KFY2020
89.7KFY2021
46.5KFY2022
198.7KFY2023
223.5K

Top industries (NAICS)

Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$47.7K60%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$8,03510%
Cutlery and handtool manufacturing · 3322$6,4068.1%
Motor vehicle and parts merchant wholesalers · 4231$5,6807.2%
Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing · 3362$4,7276.0%
Business schools and computer and management training · 6114$3,142

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Pasco, Washington, so they do not add up across cities.

Pasco, Washington's figures are part of those of Franklin County, WA ($9.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Pasco is mostly in Franklin County.

See federal money in Franklin County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Pasco, Washington is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Franklin County30100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Kennewick-Richland, WA54

Other cities and towns in Franklin County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5353545

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends