Best PlacesWest Richland, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Richland, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
West Richland ranks 619th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Richland
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
West Richland's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Richland ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of towns
- TransitBetter than 96% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 96% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 162 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of towns
- BikingBetter than 95% of towns
Where West Richland ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 13% of towns
- Cheap childcare$1,102 a month, better than only 16% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than only 17% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than only 20% of towns
- QuietBetter than only 26% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in West Richland
A household needs to earn about $117,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Richland home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $126,264, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses West Richland's effective rate of 0.85%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Richland
West Richland runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for West Richland.
Who works in West Richland, and how
Work in West Richland centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in West Richland
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across West Richland.
What the weather is like in West Richland, month by month
West Richland sees roughly 162 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 35° | 29° |
| April | 70° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 97° | 80° | 62° |
| October | 69° | 54° | 42° |
Flying in and out of West Richland
The nearest airport, Tri-Cities, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 161 miles away.
West Richland measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare West Richland against the other 50,332 towns.
Who West Richland suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 96% of towns, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 18% already work from home.
Common questions about living in West Richland
Is West Richland a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Richland ranks 619th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on low crime, transit, and what local pay buys, and lowest on state infrastructure and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Richland expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $444,115. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $126,264 median income, cost of living beats 96% of towns.
Is West Richland safe?
Yes, West Richland is safer than 98% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $187 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in West Richland?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 29. That works out to about 162 pleasant days a year, more than 95% of towns.
Is West Richland good for families?
Schools beat 63% of towns, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $1,102 a month.
Compare West Richland with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Richland. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Richland represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
West Richland detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Richland: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Richland: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Richland: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Richland: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Richland detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.