Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 96,749, and was estimated to be 102,612 in 2025.
The county was formed out of Whitman County on November 28, 1883, and is named for Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin County is included in the Tri-Cities metropolitan area. Together, Kennewick, Richland and Pasco comprise Washington's Tri-Cities.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.85%) is water. It is the 27th largest county in Washington by total area.
Geographic features
- Columbia River
- Hanford Nuclear Reservation
- Juniper Dunes Wilderness
- Snake River
Major highways
- 20px SR 260
- 20px Interstate 182
- 20px U.S. 12
- 23px U.S. 395
Adjacent counties
- Adams County - north
- Whitman County - east
- Walla Walla County - southeast
- Columbia County - southeast
- Benton County - southwest
- Grant County - northwest
National protected areas
- Hanford Reach National Monument (part)
- Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
2024–2025 estimates
As of the second quarter of 2025, the median home value in Franklin County was $416,327.
As of the 2024 American Community Survey, there are 31,564 estimated households in Franklin County with an average of 3.09 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $81,604. Approximately 17.8% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Franklin County has an estimated 58.1% employment rate, with 21.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 80.0% holding a high school diploma. There were 32,687 housing units at an average density of . !! Pop. 1990 !! Pop. 2000 !! Pop. 2010 !!
|-
| White alone (NH)
| 27,502<br>(78.52%) || 23,784<br>(63.47%) || 23,470<br>(47.56%) || 33,804<br>(43.25%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |37,225<br>(38.48%)
|-
| Black or African American alone (NH)
| 1,441<br>(4.11%) || 1,251<br>(3.34%) || 1,120<br>(2.27%) || 1,339<br>(1.71%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |1,603<br>(1.66%)
|-
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
| 234<br>(0.67%) || 217<br>(0.58%) || 235<br>(0.48%) || 357<br>(0.46%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |437<br>(0.45%)
|-
| Asian alone (NH)
| 330<br>(0.94%) || 805<br>(2.15%) || 767<br>(1.55%) || 1,384<br>(1.77%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |1,796<br>(1.86%)
|-
| Pacific Islander alone (NH)
| — || — || 32<br>(0.06%) || 92<br>(0.12%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |195<br>(0.20%)
|-
| Other race alone (NH)
| 106<br>(0.30%) || 100<br>(0.27%) || 39<br>(0.08%) || 96<br>(0.12%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |338<br>(0.35%)
|-
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)
| — || — || 652<br>(1.32%) || 1,087<br>(1.39%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |2,710<br>(2.80%)
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (any race)
| 5,412<br>(15.45%) || 11,316<br>(30.20%) || 23,032<br>(46.67%) || 40,004<br>(51.18%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |52,445<br>(54.21%)
|-
| Total
| 35,025<br>(100.00%) || 37,473<br>(100.00%) || 49,347<br>(100.00%) || 78,163<br>(100.00%) || style='background: #ffffe6; |96,749<br>(100.00%)
|}
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 96,749. Of the residents, 31.5% were under the age of 18 and 9.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 30.9 years. For every 100 females there were 106.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.0 males. 88.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 11.4% lived in rural areas.
The population density was and there were 29,740 housing units at an average density of . Of those units, 3.3% were vacant; among occupied housing units, 68.3% were owner-occupied and 31.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.6%.
The racial makeup of the county was 47.4% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 1.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.0% Asian, 30.4% from some other race, and 16.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 54.2% of the population. Other elected county officials include Assessor, Auditor, Clerk, Coroner, Prosecuting Attorney, Sheriff, and Treasurer.
Politics
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Franklin is a strongly Republican county in Presidential elections. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried Franklin County since Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1964 landslide, and the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate it backed was Dixy Lee Ray in 1976.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Washington
References
Further reading
- Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection
External links
- Franklin County, Washington at HistoryLink
- Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce