Benton County, WA jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Benton County’s unemployment rate is 3.5%. Employers filed 1 layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 129 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Benton County economy

3.5%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.8% the month before
105,654
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
210,224
people in Benton County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$87,316
median household income
Source: Census ACS
42%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Benton County ranks

Where Benton County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#1Best county job markets for job seekers in the Pacific Northwest91 / 100 · of 10
#1Best county job markets for job seekers in the West Coast90 / 100 · of 34
#2Fastest-growing job markets in the Pacific Northwest+5.9% · of 23
#2Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Pacific Northwest28% · of 30
#3Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Pacific Northwest64 / 100 · of 10
#4Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person in the Pacific Northwest4 per 100 · of 11

Benton County outlook: Building

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs up 5.9% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 6.9% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 3.5%, down 0.3 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+2,110 jobs), professional & technical (+1,129 jobs)
Sectors losing the most jobs: hotels & food (−460 jobs), retail (−406 jobs)

Learn and get funded in Benton County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Benton County layoffs

1
Layoff notices, last 12 months
68
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
1
employer

Layoff notices filed in Benton County, newest first
Notice date	Employer	City or county	Workers	Type	Source
Sep 28, 2026	Maverick Washington LLC / Coyote Bobs CasinoTakes effect Nov 30, 2026	Kennewick	68	Closure	State record

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Benton County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

Battelle Memorial Institute (PNNL)34 open roles
Sargent & Lundy11 open roles
Prosidian Consultng8 open roles
Aecon Group5 open roles
AKS Engineering5 open roles
Enercon5 open roles
Bechtel3 open roles
Apex Companies2 open roles
Charter Communications2 open roles
Gesa2 open roles

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Benton County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Washington? How to file for unemployment in Washington (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council
Benton, Franklin

WorkSource Columbia Basin (Tri-Cities)
Kennewick · Comprehensive · 509-734-5900
Monday - Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
WorkSource Sunnyside
Sunnyside · Affiliate · 509-836-5405
M - F 8:00am - 5:00pm.

Cities in Benton County

Other Washington counties

All of Washington

Laid off or looking for work in Benton County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Washington’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Washington unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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