| Official Name: | Benton, Arkansas |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the United States |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Name2: | Saline |
| Government Type: | Mayor-Council |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Tom Farmer |
| Leader Title1: | City Council |
| Leader Name1: | Frank Baptist Kerry Murphy Charles Cunningham Joe Lee Richards Bill Donnor Jerry Ponder Brad Moore James Herzfeld Steve Lee Lori Terrell |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 60.65 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 23.42 |
| Area Land Km2: | 59.27 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 22.88 |
| Area Water Km2: | 1.39 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.54 |
| Elevation Ft: | 472 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 35014 |
| Population Density Km2: | 590.77 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1530.06 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Coordinates: | 34.5792°N -92.5714°W |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 72015, 72018-19, 72158 |
| Area Code: | 501 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 05-05290[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2403855 |
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 Statistical 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]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.4sqmi, of which 17.9sqmi is land and 0.5sqmi (2.71%) is water.
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.[6]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 27,156 | 77.56% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 3,441 | 9.83% | |
| Native American | 158 | 0.45% | |
| Asian | 488 | 1.39% | |
| Pacific Islander | 11 | 0.03% | |
| Other/Mixed | 1,730 | 4.94% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,030 | 5.8% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 35,014 people, 13,082 households, and 8,913 families residing in the city.
At the 2000 census there were 21,906 people in 8,713 households, including 6,186 families, in the city. The population density was 1221.2sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 9,315 housing units at an average density of 519.3sp=usNaNsp=us. 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.[7] 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.
Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary students is provided by:[8]
A small area near Frontage Road to the southeast is physically in the Harmony Grove School District, which operates Benton Harmony Grove High School.