Yakima vs Kennewick
The short version
- Yakima is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Kennewick area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $297,600 in Yakima and $370,700 in Kennewick.
- Households earn more in Kennewick ($73,576 vs $62,815 median).
- Yakima gets far more snow: 20 inches a year vs 2.
- Kennewick is growing faster: +5.3% since 2020 vs +0.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Yakima (18 vs 21 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Yakima, WA | Kennewick, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 97,458 | 88,366 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.5% | +5.3% |
| People per square mile | 3,470 | 3,100 |
| Median age | 34.3 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21% | 26% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $62,815 | $73,576 |
| Median home value | $297,600 | $370,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 5.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,117 | $1,240 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 95.5 | 100.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 72.6 | 94.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,700 | $75,100 |
| Homeowners | 54% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.8 | 21.3 |
| Work from home | 8% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.4% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 16.6% | 14.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 24° | 41° / 28° |
| July high / low | 90° / 55° | 93° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 8 in | 8 in |
| Snowfall per year | 20 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 40 | 55 |
| Nights below freezing | 147 | 112 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.0 | 87.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 62% | 79% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.4% | +1.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +34.3% | +33.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Yakima: May to June and September. Kennewick: May to June and September.
Full monthly tables: Yakima weather by month and Kennewick weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,700 in Yakima and $75,100 in Kennewick. Moving from Yakima to Kennewick, you would need about $78,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Yakima and Kennewick
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Yakima and Kennewick.
Which would you pick?
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