Benton County, Washington
| Benton County, Washington | ||
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Benton County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Washington |
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 Washington's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | March 8, 1905 | |
| Named for | Thomas Hart Benton | |
| Seat | Prosser | |
| Largest city | Kennewick | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,760 sq mi (4,558 km2) | |
| • Land | 1,700 sq mi (4,403 km2) | |
| • Water | 60 sq mi (155 km2), 3.4% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 193,686 | |
| • Density | 110/sq mi (42/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 4th | |
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 | |
| Website | www |
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Benton County is a county in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, its population was 175,177. The county seat is Prosser, and its largest city is Kennewick. The Columbia River demarcates the county's north, south, and east boundaries.
Benton County was created from what were then larger versions of Klickitat County and Yakima County on 8 March 1905. and was named after U.S. Senator from Missouri (1821–51) and later U.S. Representative (1853–55) Thomas Hart Benton.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,760 square miles (4,600 km2), of which 1,700 square miles (4,400 km2) is land and 60 square miles (160 km2) (3.4%) is water. The highest point of land elevation within the county is the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain at 3,527 feet; and the lowest point of land elevation is along the southwestern shore of Crow Butte at 265 feet (fluctuates due to level of Columbia River).
As of the census of 2000, there were 142,475 people, 52,866 households, and 38,063 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 55,963 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.25% White, 0.93% Black or African American, 0.82% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 7.01% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. 12.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.1% were of German, 11.0% English, 9.1% United States or American and 8.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 86.4% spoke English and 10.3% Spanish as their first language.
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