Benton County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIowa | |
 Iowa's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:42°04′47″N92°04′03″W / 42.079722222222°N 92.0675°W /42.079722222222; -92.0675 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | 1837 |
| Named after | Thomas Hart Benton |
| Seat | Vinton |
| Largest city | Vinton |
| Area | |
• Total | 718 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
| • Land | 716 sq mi (1,850 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,575 |
| • Density | 35.7/sq mi (13.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Benton County is acounty in theU.S. state ofIowa. As of the2020 census, the population was 25,575.[1] Itscounty seat and largest city isVinton.[2] The county is named forThomas Hart Benton, aU.S. Senator fromMissouri.
Benton County is part of theCedar Rapids, IAMetropolitan Statistical Area.[3]
Benton County was formed on December 21, 1837, from sections of Dubuque County. It was named after US SenatorThomas Hart Benton.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 718 square miles (1,860 km2), of which 716 square miles (1,850 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (0.3%) is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 672 | — | |
| 1860 | 8,496 | 1,164.3% | |
| 1870 | 22,454 | 164.3% | |
| 1880 | 24,888 | 10.8% | |
| 1890 | 24,178 | −2.9% | |
| 1900 | 25,177 | 4.1% | |
| 1910 | 23,156 | −8.0% | |
| 1920 | 24,080 | 4.0% | |
| 1930 | 22,851 | −5.1% | |
| 1940 | 22,879 | 0.1% | |
| 1950 | 22,656 | −1.0% | |
| 1960 | 23,422 | 3.4% | |
| 1970 | 22,885 | −2.3% | |
| 1980 | 23,649 | 3.3% | |
| 1990 | 22,429 | −5.2% | |
| 2000 | 25,308 | 12.8% | |
| 2010 | 26,076 | 3.0% | |
| 2020 | 25,575 | −1.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 25,796 | [6] | 0.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2018[11] | |||
The 2020 census recorded a population of 25,575 in the county, with a population density of35.6124/sq mi (13.75001/km2). 96.29% of the population reported being of one race. 93.04% were non-Hispanic White, 0.45% were Black, 1.81% were Hispanic, 0.13% were Native American, 0.32% were Asian, 0.01% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.24% were some other race or more than one race. There were 11,076 housing units of which 10,282 were occupied.[1]
The 2010 census recorded a population of 26,076 in the county, with a population density of36.419/sq mi (14.061/km2). There were 11,095 housing units, of which 10,302 were occupied.[12]
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 25,308 people, 9,746 households, and 7,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 inhabitants per square mile (14/km2). There were 10,377 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.84%White, 0.20%Black orAfrican American, 0.15%Native American, 0.17%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.11% fromother races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 9,746 households, out of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.70% weremarried couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,427, and the median income for a family was $49,701. Males had a median income of $35,044 versus $23,978 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,891. About 4.6% of families and 6.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Benton County is divided into twentytownships:
The population ranking of the following table is based on the2020 census of Benton County.[1]
†county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | †Vinton | City | 4,938 |
| 2 | Belle Plaine | City | 2,330 |
| 3 | Atkins | City | 2,056 |
| 4 | Urbana | City | 1,554 |
| 5 | Walford (partially inLinn County) | City | 1,366 |
| 6 | Shellsburg | City | 961 |
| 7 | Newhall | City | 876 |
| 8 | Van Horne | City | 774 |
| 9 | Blairstown | City | 713 |
| 10 | Keystone | City | 599 |
| 11 | Norway | City | 466 |
| 12 | Garrison | City | 344 |
| 13 | Mount Auburn | City | 162 |
| 14 | Watkins | CDP | 116 |
| 15 | Luzerne | City | 112 |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1896 | 3,604 | 57.50% | 2,560 | 40.84% | 104 | 1.66% |
| 1900 | 3,609 | 56.89% | 2,575 | 40.59% | 160 | 2.52% |
| 1904 | 3,609 | 61.10% | 2,057 | 34.82% | 241 | 4.08% |
| 1908 | 3,180 | 55.08% | 2,418 | 41.88% | 175 | 3.03% |
| 1912 | 1,831 | 31.53% | 2,472 | 42.56% | 1,505 | 25.91% |
| 1916 | 3,189 | 54.16% | 2,556 | 43.41% | 143 | 2.43% |
| 1920 | 6,539 | 71.02% | 2,343 | 25.45% | 325 | 3.53% |
| 1924 | 5,314 | 58.13% | 1,459 | 15.96% | 2,369 | 25.91% |
| 1928 | 5,669 | 62.68% | 3,307 | 36.56% | 69 | 0.76% |
| 1932 | 3,424 | 34.87% | 6,070 | 61.82% | 325 | 3.31% |
| 1936 | 4,144 | 41.72% | 5,606 | 56.43% | 184 | 1.85% |
| 1940 | 5,298 | 49.55% | 5,363 | 50.15% | 32 | 0.30% |
| 1944 | 4,378 | 48.43% | 4,619 | 51.10% | 42 | 0.46% |
| 1948 | 3,770 | 45.06% | 4,209 | 50.30% | 388 | 4.64% |
| 1952 | 6,316 | 59.09% | 3,831 | 35.84% | 542 | 5.07% |
| 1956 | 5,634 | 56.31% | 3,946 | 39.44% | 426 | 4.26% |
| 1960 | 5,972 | 56.33% | 4,620 | 43.58% | 9 | 0.08% |
| 1964 | 3,453 | 34.24% | 6,614 | 65.59% | 17 | 0.17% |
| 1968 | 5,016 | 52.06% | 3,944 | 40.93% | 675 | 7.01% |
| 1972 | 5,273 | 54.09% | 4,282 | 43.92% | 194 | 1.99% |
| 1976 | 5,014 | 46.85% | 5,514 | 51.52% | 175 | 1.64% |
| 1980 | 5,329 | 50.11% | 4,223 | 39.71% | 1,083 | 10.18% |
| 1984 | 5,566 | 52.13% | 4,993 | 46.76% | 119 | 1.11% |
| 1988 | 4,011 | 40.20% | 5,873 | 58.87% | 93 | 0.93% |
| 1992 | 3,469 | 33.23% | 4,467 | 42.79% | 2,503 | 23.98% |
| 1996 | 3,835 | 37.31% | 5,546 | 53.95% | 898 | 8.74% |
| 2000 | 5,468 | 46.47% | 5,915 | 50.27% | 383 | 3.26% |
| 2004 | 6,658 | 49.31% | 6,747 | 49.97% | 96 | 0.71% |
| 2008 | 6,447 | 47.00% | 7,058 | 51.45% | 212 | 1.55% |
| 2012 | 6,940 | 49.49% | 6,862 | 48.93% | 221 | 1.58% |
| 2016 | 8,232 | 59.46% | 4,678 | 33.79% | 934 | 6.75% |
| 2020 | 9,188 | 62.75% | 5,160 | 35.24% | 294 | 2.01% |
| 2024 | 9,549 | 65.81% | 4,739 | 32.66% | 221 | 1.52% |
School districts:[15]
There was formerly a state-operated school,Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School.
Places adjacent to Benton County, Iowa | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofBenton County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
42°04′47″N92°04′03″W / 42.07972°N 92.06750°W /42.07972; -92.06750
