Two of the Tri-Cities recently were ranked as “best places” on national lists. 

Pasco was one of only two cities in Washington state to make the Best Places to Retire in 2025 list recently released by Forbes magazine, while Kennewick once again earned a national spot on the top 100 best places to live list. 

Pasco’s median home price of $406,000 – just above the national average – and slightly lower than average cost of living were cited as reasons for its inclusion on the Forbes list. 

Other retiree-friendly benefits noted by Forbes included the number of primary care physicians, air quality, climate, low crime rate compared to national average, strong economy and tax climate. The city was critiqued for not being particularly walkable or bike-friendly.  

Spokane was the only other Washington city to make the Forbes list. It has a lower median home price of $390,000 but its cost of living comes in about 3% higher than the national average.  

Forbes compiled data from various government and other databases on 950 places with populations above 10,000, in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to develop its list. 

Livability.com, a company that researches communities to aid municipalities with attracting and retaining residents and businesses, listed the Tri-Cities’ biggest city at No. 50 on its 2025 Top 100 Best Places to Live list. That’s up from the No. 60 spot Kennewick held in 2024.  

The only other Washington city on this list, Spokane, came in at No. 6 for the region.