Healthcare & Safety in Richland
Richland offers a genuine, substantial local hospital anchor in Kadlec Regional Medical Center, while crime data carries a real, disclosed tension between a less favorable rate-based figure and a more favorable safest-city ranking.
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Learn moreA real, substantial hospital anchor
Kadlec Regional Medical Center, physically located in Richland, operates 337 beds (expanded from an original 270-bed license), the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and a Level III adult trauma designation -- a genuine, substantial healthcare anchor for the broader Mid-Columbia region.
A real, disclosed tension in the crime data
One source cites Richland's overall crime rate at 42.09 per 1,000 residents against a national rate of 33.37 -- genuinely elevated, and higher than 80% of Washington's own cities and towns. A separate source, however, ranks Richland the #6 safest city in Washington, and local Nextdoor discussion generally characterizes the city as safe. Both are disclosed honestly here rather than resolved to whichever reads more favorably.
A real, current PNNL employment headwind
In November 2025, PNNL's operator laid off 68 employees, with more than 40 based at the Richland campus specifically -- a real, disclosed recent headwind to the local research-employment picture, not omitted in favor of a purely positive framing.
Key takeaways
- Kadlec Regional Medical Center (337 beds) is a genuine, substantial local hospital anchor, including the region's only Level III NICU.
- Crime data carries a real, disclosed tension: one source cites a rate higher than 80% of WA cities/towns, another ranks Richland the state's #6 safest city.
- PNNL saw a real, disclosed round of layoffs (68 positions) in November 2025.
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