Benton, Arkansas

Benton, Arkansas
Benton, Arkansas
City
	Saline County Courthouse, located in the heart of downtown Benton.
	Location in Saline County and the state of Arkansas
	Benton, Arkansas Location in the United States
	Coordinates: 34°34′45″N 92°34′17″W / 34.57917°N 92.57139°W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Saline
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	Tom Farmer
• City Council	Frank Baptist ; Kerry Murphy ; Charles Cunningham ; Joe Lee Richards ; Bill Donnor ; Jerry Ponder ; Brad Moore ; James Herzfeld ; Steve Lee ; Lori Terrell
Area
• Total	23.42 sq mi (60.65 km2)
• Land	22.88 sq mi (59.27 km2)
• Water	0.54 sq mi (1.39 km2)
Elevation	472 ft (144 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	35,014
• Density	1,530.06/sq mi (590.77/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	72015, 72018-19, 72158
Area code	501
FIPS code	05-05290
GNIS feature ID	2403855
Website	www.bentonar.org

Benton is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States and a suburb of Little Rock. It was established in 1837.^[4] At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,014, making it the 12th most populous city in Arkansas.^[5] 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.^[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]

Climate data for Benton, Arkansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1907–1913, 1937–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	83 (28)	97 (36)	91 (33)	95 (35)	100 (38)	104 (40)	112 (44)	111 (44)	106 (41)	98 (37)	86 (30)	80 (27)	112 (44)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	71.2 (21.8)	74.6 (23.7)	81.9 (27.7)	85.8 (29.9)	90.6 (32.6)	95.4 (35.2)	99.4 (37.4)	99.9 (37.7)	95.9 (35.5)	89.3 (31.8)	79.4 (26.3)	73.4 (23.0)	101.3 (38.5)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	52.5 (11.4)	57.1 (13.9)	65.7 (18.7)	74.5 (23.6)	81.6 (27.6)	89.0 (31.7)	92.9 (33.8)	92.6 (33.7)	86.7 (30.4)	76.0 (24.4)	64.1 (17.8)	54.8 (12.7)	74.0 (23.3)
Daily mean °F (°C)	41.6 (5.3)	45.7 (7.6)	53.6 (12.0)	62.2 (16.8)	70.6 (21.4)	78.8 (26.0)	82.6 (28.1)	81.7 (27.6)	74.8 (23.8)	63.5 (17.5)	52.2 (11.2)	44.0 (6.7)	62.6 (17.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	30.6 (−0.8)	34.3 (1.3)	41.4 (5.2)	49.9 (9.9)	59.6 (15.3)	68.6 (20.3)	72.3 (22.4)	70.8 (21.6)	62.8 (17.1)	51.0 (10.6)	40.3 (4.6)	33.2 (0.7)	51.2 (10.7)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	15.9 (−8.9)	20.1 (−6.6)	24.8 (−4.0)	35.3 (1.8)	44.5 (6.9)	57.9 (14.4)	63.7 (17.6)	61.4 (16.3)	48.9 (9.4)	35.1 (1.7)	24.7 (−4.1)	19.6 (−6.9)	12.6 (−10.8)
Record low °F (°C)	−12 (−24)	−17 (−27)	6 (−14)	23 (−5)	31 (−1)	44 (7)	50 (10)	46 (8)	31 (−1)	20 (−7)	7 (−14)	−2 (−19)	−17 (−27)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.84 (98)	4.20 (107)	5.05 (128)	5.63 (143)	5.22 (133)	3.94 (100)	4.16 (106)	3.52 (89)	3.80 (97)	4.37 (111)	4.77 (121)	4.91 (125)	53.41 (1,357)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.6 (1.5)	0.4 (1.0)	0.3 (0.76)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.3 (3.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	6.2	6.1	7.0	7.6	7.7	5.3	6.0	5.0	4.8	5.9	6.2	6.4	74.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5
Source: NOAA^[8]^[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	452	—
1890	647	43.1%
1900	1,025	58.4%
1910	1,708	66.6%
1920	2,933	71.7%
1930	3,445	17.5%
1940	3,502	1.7%
1950	6,277	79.2%
1960	10,399	65.7%
1970	16,499	58.7%
1980	17,717	7.4%
1990	18,177	2.6%
2000	21,906	20.5%
2010	30,681	40.1%
2020	35,014	14.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[10]

Benton racial composition^[11]
Race	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%

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 35,014 people, 13,082 households, and 8,913 families residing in the city.

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 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.^[3] 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:^[12]

Benton School District, which leads to graduation from Benton High School (majority of the city)
Bryant Public Schools, which operates Bryant High School
Bauxite School District

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

Ann Clemmer – Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
Lanny Fite – Ann Clemmer's successor in the state House District 23; former Saline County county judge
Wes Gardner – Former relief pitcher for the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and others
Stuart Greer – film and television actor, is a part-time resident
Kim Hammer – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from District 28 in Saline County
Kenneth Henderson – Republican member of the Arkansas House for Pope County; former Benton resident^[13]
Cliff Lee – Major League Baseball's 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner for the Cleveland Indians
Ewell Ross McCright – World War II POW
Justin Moore – country artist, born in nearby Poyen, currently resides in Benton
Joe Purcell – Arkansas governor for six days in 1979; Democratic lieutenant governor and attorney general
Charlie Rich – Multiple Grammy Award winning country artist