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Benton County, Iowa facts for kids

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Benton County
U.S. county
Benton County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Benton County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Iowa
Founded 1837
Named for 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 (6 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 25,575
 • Density 35.620/sq mi (13.753/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Benton County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,575. Its county seat and largest city is Vinton. The county is named for Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator from Missouri.

Benton County is part of the Cedar Rapids, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Benton County was formed on December 21, 1837, from sections of Dubuque County. It was named after US Senator Thomas Hart Benton.

Geography

According to the U.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.

Major highways

  • I-380.svg Interstate 380
  • US 30.svg U.S. Highway 30
  • US 151.svg U.S. Highway 151
  • US 218.svg U.S. Highway 218
  • Circle sign 8.svg Iowa Highway 8
  • Elongated circle 21.svg Iowa Highway 21
  • Elongated circle 27.svg Iowa Highway 27
  • Elongated circle 150.svg Iowa Highway 150

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
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 −1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
BentonCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Benton County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 25,575 in the county, with a population density of 35.6124/sq mi (13.7500/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.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 26,076 in the county, with a population density of 36.419/sq mi (14.061/km2). There were 11,095 housing units, of which 10,302 were occupied.

BentonCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Benton County from ACS 5-year estimates

Communities

Cities

Townships

Benton County is divided into twenty townships:

  • Benton
  • Big Grove
  • Bruce
  • Canton
  • Cedar
  • Eden
  • Eldorado
  • Florence
  • Fremont
  • Harrison
  • Homer
  • Iowa
  • Jackson
  • Kane
  • Leroy
  • Monroe
  • Polk
  • St. Clair
  • Taylor
  • Union

Census-designated place

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Benton County.

† 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 in Linn County) City 1,366
6 Shellsburg City 961
7 Blairstown City 692
8 Newhall City 876
9 Van Horne 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

Education

School districts:

  • Belle Plaine Community School District
  • Benton Community School District
  • Center Point-Urbana Community School District
  • College Community School District
  • Independence Community School District
  • North Linn Community School District
  • Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District
  • Union Community School District

There was formerly a state-operated school, Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Benton (Iowa) para niños

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