Benton County occupies 884.86 square miles (229,180 ha) and contained a population of 284,333 people in 100,749 households as of the2020 Census,[1] ranking it tenth in size and second in population among the state's75 counties. The county's economy is heavily influenced by the presence ofWalmart, headquartered in Bentonville, and hundreds of associated businesses, with agriculture, tourism, and construction also important sectors. Benton County's median household income is the highest in Arkansas and slightly above the national median.[2][3]
Prior to white settlement of the county, the region was used by roving bands ofOsage andDelaware who used the area for seasonal hunting grounds. Initial white settlement on Benton County took place aroundMaysville around 1830, followed by areas aroundGarfield,Cross Hollow, andCenterton. Settlers were predominantly fromTennessee, followed by SouthernPiedmont states.[4] Benton County was created from neighboringWashington County by theArkansas General Assembly on September 30, 1836. Created shortly after statehood, it was named forThomas Hart Benton, aU.S. Senator fromMissouri influential in Arkansas's statehood.[5]
Following establishment, a citizen committee was established to select thecounty seat. It decided to create Bentonville, with a town square and 136 lots around it, in 1837. The first building serving as courthouse was the home of George P. Wallace, the firstcounty judge, for the 1837 court term. By the following year, a log structure on the north side of the Bentonville square was complete and served as the first permanent courthouse. In 1841, a contractor was building a brick courthouse in the middle of the Bentonville square. It was burned by Union troops during theCivil War in 1862. Court resumed after the war in a rented office for a few months until a new two-story frame building was constructed east of the county jail. In 1870, the search for a more permanent home for county government began, and a new structure was finished after significant struggle and controversy, in 1874. This building was replaced by the present-dayBenton County Courthouse in 1928.[6]
OnMay 26, 2024, Benton County experienced the largest tornado in Arkansas history, an EF3 with a width of 1.8 miles (2.9 km). This also initiated the first ever Arkansas appearance ofFEMA for emergency disaster relief.[citation needed]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 884.363 square miles (2,290.49 km2), of which 847.733 square miles (2,195.62 km2) is land and 36.630 square miles (94.87 km2) (4.14%) is water.[8] It is the 12th largest county in Arkansas by total area.[9] Most of the water is inBeaver Lake.
Benton County is divided into five watersheds. The eastern part of the county is drained by theWhite River, which includesBeaver Lake. Major tributaries includeWar Eagle Creek, Little Clifty Creek, Spider Creek, Indian Creek, Prairie Creek and Esculapia Creek. Northern Benton County is within theElk River watershed; the northeast corner is drained by tributaries toBig Sugar Creek; north central Benton County drains toLittle Sugar Creek. The southwest part of Benton County is within theIllinois River watershed; southwest and south-central parts of the county drain toOsage Creek and western Benton County drains toFlint Creek orSpavinaw Creek. Northeastern Benton County drains to tributaries of theNeosho River.[11] A very small part of northwestern Benton County drains to theGrand Lake.
Beaver Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA),Hobbs State Park - Conservation Area, and Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area preserve steep Ozark Mountain terrain around Beaver Lake. Two preserve the flat prairies of the Springfield Plateau: Chesney Prairie Natural Area and Searles Prairie Natural Area.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 284,333. The median age was 35.3 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.0 males age 18 and over.[20][21]
76.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 24.0% lived in rural areas.[22]
There were 104,111 households in the county, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.5% were married-couple households, 15.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[20]
There were 113,088 housing units, of which 7.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.1% were owner-occupied and 32.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.[20]
As of the2000 census, there were 153,406 people, 58,212 households, and 43,484 families residing in the county. The population density was 181 inhabitants per square mile (70/km2). There were 64,281 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile (29/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.87%White, 0.41%Black orAfrican American, 1.65%Native American, 1.09%Asian, 0.08%Pacific Islander, 4.08% fromother races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 8.78% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
As of 2005 estimates, Benton County's population was 81.7% non-Hispanic white, while the percentage of Latinos grew by 60 percent in the time period. 1.1% of the population was African-American; 1.6% was Native American (the historical presence of theCherokee Indians live in close proximity toOklahoma); 1.7% was Asian (there was a large influx ofFilipinos,Vietnamese andSouth Asian immigrants in recent decades) and 0.2% of the population was Pacific Islander. 1.6% reported two or more races, usually not black-white due to a minuscule African-American population. 12.8% was Latino, but theUnited States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce believed the official estimate is underreported and Latinos could well be 20 percent of the population.[24]
There were 58,212 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.00% weremarried couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,281, and the median income for a family was $45,235. Males had a median income of $30,327 versus $22,469 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,377. About 7.30% of families and 10.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
After the end ofProhibition in 1933, Benton County voters voted that year to staydry and voted twice in 1944 to stay dry.[25] In 2012, Benton County voters elected to make the county wet, allowing countywide retail alcohol sales.[26]
TheSt. Louis–San Francisco Railway (commonly known as the "Frisco") was completed across Benton County in 1881. The Bentonville Railway Company operated a freight and passenger railroad between Rogers and Bentonville between 1883 and 1898.[27]
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by theConstitution of Arkansas and theArkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are calledjustices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Benton County Quorum Court has fifteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is thecounty judge, who serves as thechief operating officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.[28][29]
Benton County, Arkansas elected countywide officials[30][31][32]
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 15 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[33][34][35]
District 1: Jeff Dunn (R) of Rogers
District 2: Ken Farmer (R) of Rogers
District 3: Richard McKeehan (R) of Rogers
District 4: Mike Miller (R) of Rogers
District 5: Carrie Perrien Smith (R) of Rogers
District 6: Brian Armas
District 7: Joseph Bollinger (R) of Bella Vista
District 8: Joel Jones (R) of Bentonville
District 9: Gregory Woodell (R) (position now Vacant)
District 10: Danny McCrackin (R) of Bella Vista
District 11: Dustin Todd (R) of Bentonville
District 12: John Rissler (R) of Siloam Springs
District 13: Kurt S. Moore (R) of Siloam Springs
District 14: Bethany Rosenbaum (R) of Lowell
District 15: Joel Edwards (R) of Centerton
Additionally, the townships of Benton County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by theConstitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.[36] The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[34]
Note: Most Arkansas counties have names for their townships. Benton County, however, has numbers instead of names.
Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, theUnited States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Benton County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/orcensus-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.[39][40]
^Benton County was one of few counties to have voted for Clinton during his gubernatorial campaigns despite him losing it during both his presidential runs. He won the county in all of his successful gubernatorial runs except for1982 and1984.
^Mileages from Benton County to Tulsa, Kansas City, and Little Rock are based on highway miles using county seat Bentonville for Benton County.[10]
^"Jordan wins in Fayetteville, Benton County goes wet". Archived fromthe original on March 7, 2013. RetrievedMarch 16, 2013.Benton County voters overwhelmingly approved of countywide retail alcohol sales, in an effort to keep dollars from flowing north and south where off-premise alcohol is sold. This bold change will wipe away nearly 70 years of 'dry' history.
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