Personal finance website SmartAsset ranked the Tri-Cities 9th among 200 metro areas as one of the Best Places to Raise Kids in America. The Tri-Cities was the only metro area listed in the top 20 located in the Pacific Northwest. The rankings are based on the percentage of the population that are children, housing costs as a percentage of income, concentration of children’s entertainment, high school graduation rates, air pollution, child poverty, percentage of the children without health insurance and the crime rate.

The Tri-Cities metro area had the 10th highest percentage of children, ranked 12th in overall violent crime, had relatively low housing costs as a percentage of income (18.8%), and a high concentration of children’s entertainment establishments.

The recognition supports the Tri-Cities Research District (TCRD) focus on attracting qualified workers for advanced manufacturing and energy production businesses. The SmartAsset ranking reinforces the quality-of-life many young families want in a community. The Tri-Cities affordable housing, low cost-of-living and access to many family-friendly entertainment and outdoor recreational activities makes the area ideal for families. Further, projects like Port of Kennewick’s Vista Field and the development of urban-centric property in downtown Richland provide the metropolitan environment to attract young-professionals seeking more variety than many similarly inexpensive metros can provide.

For the full report from SmartAsset, please visit their website: https://smartasset.com/mortgage/best-places-to-raise-kids-2020-edition