Living in Pasco, WA

Franklin County

Pasco is Franklin County's real seat -- confirmed directly this pass, the county seat moved to Pasco from Ainsworth in the 1880s -- and the genuinely fastest-growing of the three Tri-Cities, a real, distinct identity from both Kennewick (this state's Tier A Tri-Cities anchor) and this build's own companion Richland record (the more affluent, Hanford/PNNL-connected sibling). Pasco's 2026 population runs 83,888 (a separately cited projection puts it slightly lower at 82,490), having grown a real 9.2% from 2019-2024 per US Census Bureau data -- the fastest pace of any city in Washington state for several years running. Pasco's median age is a genuinely young 30.3 years, and its population carries a real, substantial Hispanic/Latino majority (56%-58.5% depending on source) -- Pasco's real, distinct, and growing identity within the Tri-Cities. Where Richland's economy centers on Hanford Site cleanup and PNNL research, Pasco's real, distinct economic base is agriculture and food processing: Simplot, ConAgra Foods, Reser's Fine Foods, and Twin City Foods all maintain real regional operations, an economy whose roots trace to the Grand Coulee Dam's 1941 completion and the substantial regional irrigation expansion that followed. Housing runs genuinely more affordable in Pasco than in neighboring Richland, though it carries a real, disclosed cross-source spread ($407,975-$493,900 depending on source and month in 2026). Washington's no state income tax and real capital gains excise tax (7% base, 9.9% above $1M) apply identically here, alongside an 8.9% combined sales tax and a property tax picture carrying real, disclosed cross-source variation (0.71%-0.83% depending on framing) -- genuinely below the Washington state median in at least one citation. Pasco's senior (65+) population share runs a genuinely young 9.6%-9.9%, meaningfully below the national average, consistent with its real young-family, agricultural-labor-force-driven relocation story. Crime data is disclosed honestly: Pasco's overall crime rate runs higher than 81% of Washington's cities and towns, chiefly property-crime-driven (22 per 1,000) against a comparatively lower violent-crime rate (3 per 1,000). Pasco School District No. 1, a genuinely large district for this build (18,500+ K-12 students across 26 schools), reflects the city's fast-growing, young-family-heavy population.

Explore Pasco in depth

• Moving to Pasco: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Pasco
• Housing in Pasco
• Taxes & Insurance in Pasco
• Climate in Pasco
• Schools & Families in Pasco
• Healthcare & Safety in Pasco
• Pros and Cons of Living in Pasco
• Best Areas to Live in Pasco

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Families and workers connected to the region's real, substantial agriculture and food-processing economy, buyers wanting genuinely more affordable Tri-Cities housing than neighboring Richland, and anyone prioritizing no state income tax alongside a young, fast-growing community and a large, expanding public school district.

Maybe not for you if: Retirees specifically seeking an established senior community or retiree-healthcare anchor should look to this build's companion Richland record instead, given Pasco's genuinely young median age (30.3) and modest senior population share (9.6%-9.9%). Anyone highly averse to property crime should weigh NeighborhoodScout's finding that Pasco's overall crime rate runs higher than 81% of Washington's cities and towns. Buyers wanting Richland's more affluent, education-driven, Hanford/PNNL-adjacent professional identity should look to that companion record instead.