County · Washington
Franklin County, Washington
Franklin County, Washington has a quality-of-life score of 30 out of 100 (low), ranking #2,192 of 3,143 US counties. Within Washington it ranks #37 of 39 counties. It ranks best on distance to an airport (low), injury deaths (low) and distance to an Amtrak station (low). It ranks worst on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high), high school diploma or higher (low) and reading scores (low).
- Quality-of-life score
- #2,192 of 3,143 counties
- Washington
- #37 of 39 in WA
- Population
- 102,612 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,242 mi²
- Density
- 82.6 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 53021
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 79 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety51#1,530/3,096
- Economy49#1,598/3,143
- Housing14#2,692/3,140
- Health70#933/3,144
- Healthcare35#2,033/3,143
- Environment11#2,755/3,108
- Education4#3,020/3,144
- Infrastructure91#275/3,144
- Community18#2,589/3,144
- Leisure & amenities26#2,324/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Franklin County, Washington ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Distance to an airport · low6 mi100/100Washington 29 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
- Injury deaths · low57 /100k97/100Washington 86 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi94/100Washington 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
- Median Air Quality Index · low23
- New homes permitted · high8.1 /1k
- Broadband subscriptions · high92.8%
Weaknesses
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high10.2 µg/m³0/100Washington 8.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- High school diploma or higher · low77.4%
- Reading scores · low2.33
- Math scores · low2.33
- Drug overdose deaths · high24.2 /100k6/100Washington 32.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
- Income adjusted for local prices · low$50,495
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- PopulationRising
97,137 (2020) → 102,612 (2025)
+5.6%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
- Drought exposureImproving
85% (2021) → 58% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−27 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
38.3% (2010 & 2021) → 61.6% (2022 & 2024)
+23 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- High ozone daysImproving
4 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- New business applicationsImproving
7.2 /1k (2020) → 12.0 /1k (2025)
+67%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
27.5% (Dec 2021) → 38.4% (Aug 2026)
+11 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
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.
Counties like Franklin County, Washington five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Franklin County, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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, WALocal 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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Metro area
The metro or micro area Franklin County belongs to. A county is in at most one.
Cities and towns in Franklin County
Places whose residents live mostly in Franklin County, largest first.
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Grant County, WA35Alike on High school+, Reading, Preschool care
- Douglas County, WA47Alike on Precipitation, Students / teacher, Associations
- Yakima County, WA25Alike on High school+, Infant care, Preschool care
- Umatilla County, OR38Alike on Unemployment, Voter turnout, Price / income
- Benton County, WA63Alike on PM2.5, Price level, Infant care
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08
