Not to be confused with Benton County, Arkansas or Bentonville, Arkansas.
Benton, Arkansas
City
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountySaline
MayorTom Farmer
City CouncilFrank Baptist
Kerry Murphy
Charles Cunningham
Joe Lee Richards
Bill Donnor
Jerry Ponder
Brad Moore
James Herzfeld
Steve Lee
Lori Terrell
Unit prefImperial
Area total60.65 km²
Area total23.42 sq mi
Area land59.27 km²
Area land22.88 sq mi
Area water1.39 km²
Area water0.54 sq mi
Elevation472 ft
Population as of2020
Population total35014
Population density590.77 km²
Population density1530.06 sq mi
Population est38898
Pop est as of2025
Time zoneCentral (CST) (UTC-6)
Coordinates34°34′45″N 92°34′17″W
Time zone (DST)CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code72015, 72018-19, 72158
Area code501
FIPS code05-05290[1]
GNIS feature ID2403855[2]
Websitewww.bentonar.org

Benton is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States. A suburb of Little Rock, it was established in 1837.[3] At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,014, making it the 12th most populous city in Arkansas.[4] It is part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan area. The city of Benton, first settled in 1833 and named after Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, was formally chartered in 1836 when Arkansas became a state.[5]

History

Early industry in Benton included a salt works opened in 1827, pottery making from local deposits of kaolin beginning around 1900, and logging and furniture making from surrounding timber. It had a racetrack preceeding Oaklawn as early as 1838.[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.4 square miles (48 km2), of which 17.9 square miles (46 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (2.71%) is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Benton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[7]

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Benton had a population of 35,014. The median age was 36.8 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.3 males age 18 and over.[8][9]

99.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.7% lived in rural areas.[10]

There were 13,737 households in Benton, of which 8,913 were families and 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.4% were married-couple households, 15.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[8]

There were 14,785 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.[8]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[9]
RaceNumberPercent
White27,60178.8%
Black or African American3,4469.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native2270.6%
Asian4941.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander120.0%
Some other race9842.8%
Two or more races2,2506.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)2,0305.8%

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 21,906 people in 8,713 households, including 6,186 families, in the city. The population density was 1,221.2 inhabitants per square mile (471.5 /km2). There were 9,315 housing units at an average density of 519.3 inhabitants per square mile (200.5 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.81% White, 4.46% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[1] Of the 8,713 households 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

The age distribution was 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median household income was $41,503 and the median family income was $51,064. Males had a median income of $32,493 versus $22,386 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,797. About 5.8% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary students is provided by:[11]

A small area near Frontage Road to the southeast is physically in the Harmony Grove School District, which operates Benton Harmony Grove High School.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  5. ^ "Benton (Saline County)". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. The Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  6. ^ Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Arkansas (1987 [1941]). The WPA Guide to 1930s Arkansas. New Introduction ed. University Press of Kansas. p. 211. ISBN 0700603417. OCLC 17373988
  7. ^ "Benton, Arkansas Koppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Archived October 29, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  8. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  9. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  10. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  11. ^ "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Saline County, AR". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  12. ^ "Kenneth L. Henderson". intelius.com. Retrieved April 8, 2015.