Kennewick composite
50.6 /100
Grade B- · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Kennewick vs Mount Vernon
Kennewick-Richland, WA and Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 50.6
- Kennewick Life Score
- B-
- Kennewick grade
- 46.2
- Mount Vernon Life Score
- C+
- Mount Vernon grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Kennewick scores higher on 5 (cost of living, wages, rent, safety, childcare) and Mount Vernon on 2 (schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Kennewick Mount Vernon ◗
cost of living
23
13
wages
95
89
rent
29
20
safety
53
53
schools
77
77
childcare
13
13
environment
58
59
Kennewick and Mount Vernon differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Kennewick has a cost-of-living index of 100.1 vs Mount Vernon's 102.4 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $78,814 in Kennewick and $74,635 in Mount Vernon. A 2-bedroom averages $1,538/mo vs $1,720/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Kennewick vs Mount Vernon Comparison
Kennewick (WA) and Mount Vernon (WA) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 100.1 for Kennewick against 102.4 for Mount Vernon, a 2.4-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,538/mo in Kennewick and $1,720/mo in Mount Vernon, a $182/mo difference that compounds to $2,184 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $78,814 across 120,710 jobs in Kennewick against $74,635 across 46,720 jobs in Mount Vernon. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Kennewick carries the same local purchasing power as $102,362 in Mount Vernon - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 329.3 per 100,000 residents in WA vs 329.3 in WA, with property-crime rates of 2498.3 and 2498.3 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: WA lists 2,465 public schools at a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio, while WA lists 2,465 schools at 17.6:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $15,987/yr in the Kennewick area versus $15,987/yr in Mount Vernon - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Kennewick and Mount Vernon are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Mount Vernon composite
46.2 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
-2.4 pts
Kennewick vs Mount Vernon BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$182 /mo
Mount Vernon priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Kennewick
Kennewick composite (Grade B-)
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon composite (Grade C+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Kennewick | Mount Vernon |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 100.1 | 102.4 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Services | 93.6 | 96.0 |
| Rents | 94.8 | 108.2 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Mount Vernon gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Kennewick?
$
Equivalent in Mount Vernon:
$102,362
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Kennewick: 100.1, Mount Vernon: 102.4, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Kennewick | Mount Vernon |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,122/mo | $1,186/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,268/mo | $1,311/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,538/mo | $1,720/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $2,071/mo | $2,392/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,385/mo | $2,599/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Kennewick | Mount Vernon |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $78,814 | $74,635 |
| Total Employment | 120,710 | 46,720 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Kennewick (WA) | Mount Vernon (WA) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 329.3 | 329.3 |
| Property Crime | 2498.3 | 2498.3 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | WA | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 2,465 | 2,465 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 17.6:1 | 17.6:1 |
| Charter Schools | 0.6% | 0.6% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | WA | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $15,987/yr | $15,987/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $12,531/yr | $12,531/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $12,531/yr | $12,531/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | WA | WA |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 367 | 367 |
| Water Systems | 2,410 | 2,410 |
| Superfund Sites | 69 | 69 |
| Water Violations | 2,879 | 2,879 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Kennewick | Mount Vernon |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 37.0 | 25.0 |
| Good Air Days | 79.5% | 97.5% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 2 days | 0 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | WA | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 10/100 | 10/100 |
| Total Violations | 314,648 | 314,648 |
| Health-Based Violations | 20,590 | 20,590 |
| Systems with Violations | 92.1% | 92.1% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | WA | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 3/100 | 3/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 96.7% | 96.7% |
| HPSA Designations | 640 | 640 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | WA | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 37/100 | 37/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 70.0 | 70.0 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 69.0 | 69.0 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kennewick more expensive than Mount Vernon? ▼
Kennewick has a cost of living index of 100.1 compared to Mount Vernon's 102.4 (national average = 100). Mount Vernon is 2.4 points above Kennewick on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Kennewick and Mount Vernon? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,538/mo in Kennewick vs $1,720/mo in Mount Vernon, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,122/mo to $1,186/mo.
How do salaries compare between Kennewick and Mount Vernon? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $78,814 in Kennewick and $74,635 in Mount Vernon, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Kennewick has the same purchasing power as $102,362 in Mount Vernon.
Is Kennewick or Mount Vernon safer? ▼
At the state level, WA has a violent crime rate of 329.3 per 100,000 residents compared to WA's 329.3 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 2498.3 vs 2498.3 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Kennewick and Mount Vernon? ▼
WA has 2,465 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.6:1, while WA has 2,465 schools at 17.6:1. Charter schools make up 0.6% of WA schools vs 0.6% in WA. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare