Benton County, Arkansas

County in AR, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

303,632

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

35.9

years ∙ half population younger than 35.9, half older

Diversity Index

60.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

12.7%

foreign-born population

87.3%Native

12.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Benton County is a county in Arkansas, United States.

Location

County in AR, US

Co-ordinates

DEC36.337819° N, 94.256298° W

DMS36° 20′ 16.15″ N, 94° 15′ 22.67″ W

Population Density & area

358.2/sq mi (138.3/km²)

Total Area

884.3 sq mi (2,290.5 km²)

Land Area

847.7 sq mi (2,195.6 km²) · 95.9%

Water Area

36.6 sq mi (94.9 km²) · 4.1%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.2% male

Male 50.2%

Female 49.8%

males per 100 females

Benton County 100.7

Arkansas 97.5

United States 98

Nativity

12.7%

foreign-born population

87.3%Native

12.7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Benton County 12.7%

Arkansas 5.4%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

35.9

years ∙ half population younger than 35.9, half older

Benton County

35.9

Arkansas

38.5

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

64.5

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Benton County 64.5

Arkansas 68.6

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	25.4%	23.1%	22%
Working age (18-64)	60.8%	59.3%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	13.8%	17.6%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	64.5	68.6	64.4
Child dependency ratio	41.8	39	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	22.6	29.6	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

58%

Black

1.8%

Asian

4.6%

Hispanic

18.5%

Other

17.1%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

60.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Benton County 60.3%

Arkansas 51.2%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Benton County population

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Hispanic or Latino	18.5%	9%	19.3%
Mexican	11.8%	6.3%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.7%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0.3%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	5.7%	2.4%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	81.5%	91%	80.7%
One race	66.2%	84.7%	76.4%
White	58%	67.4%	57.4%
Black or African American	1.8%	14.6%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.6%	0.3%	0.5%
Asian	4.6%	1.6%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.7%	0.4%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.5%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	15.3%	6.3%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

73.1% family

Family 73.1%

Non family 26.9%

% family households

Benton County 73.1%

Arkansas 64.6%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.69

persons per household

Benton County

2.69

Arkansas

2.46

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Benton County population

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Total households	111,919	1,205,987	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.69	2.46	2.53
Family households	81,832	779,074	82,990,528
Average family size	3.15	3.06	3.14
Married couple family	65,836	566,646	60,637,388
Other families	15,996	212,428	22,353,140
Male householder	5,146	57,955	6,572,819
Female householder	10,850	154,473	15,780,321
Non-family households	30,087	426,913	46,236,968
One-person households	24,841	360,000	37,140,836
Male householder	12,618	165,673	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	2,807	51,376	5,225,110
Female householder	12,223	194,327	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	5,992	99,092	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	5,246	66,913	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

122,703

housing units

Benton County 122,703

Arkansas 1,394,673

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

91.2% occupied

Occupied 91.2%

Vacant 8.8%

vacancy rate

Benton County 8.8%

Arkansas 13.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

79.5%

Single family houses

79.5%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

16.9%

Mobile homes

3.6%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

2001

Half of houses were built before 2001, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

2.3%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

6.3%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

39.6%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

51.9%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.8	5.5	5.5
1–3 rooms	12.9%	11.6%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	51.1%	58.6%	51.6%
7+ rooms	36%	29.8%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.6%	1.9%	2.9%
1 bedroom	6%	7.6%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	19.8%	24.5%	25%
3 bedrooms	45.6%	48.9%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	27%	17.1%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	2001	1988	1981
Total housing units	122,703	1,394,673	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

67% owners

Renter-occupied 33%

Owner-occupied 67%

homeownership rate

Benton County 67%

Arkansas 66.4%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.77

Owner-occupied

2.51

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Benton County 2.77

Arkansas 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Total occupied units	111,919	1,205,987	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	31.1%	26.4%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	45.2%	39.9%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	14.4%	16%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	9.3%	17.6%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	96.2%	97.3%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	3.1%	1.8%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.7%	0.8%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	2.8%	5.9%	8.4%
1 vehicle	29.3%	33.2%	33.1%
2 vehicles	43.3%	37.8%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	24.7%	23.2%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	52%	42.8%	51.4%
Electricity	45.2%	53.7%	41.3%
Solar	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	2.2%	2.9%	2%
No fuel used	0.3%	0.5%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.2%	0.6%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.4%	1%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.5%	1%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$323,500

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Benton County

$323,500

Arkansas

$188,000

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

16.8%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

16.8%

Owners without a mortgage

8.7%

Renters

32.8%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Property value
Median Value	$323,500	$188,000	$332,700
Under $100,000	6.3%	24.4%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	14.6%	28.6%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	24.9%	21.7%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	31%	17.2%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	18.6%	6.7%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	4.7%	1.4%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	65.3%	52.8%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	34.7%	47.2%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,717	$1,345	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$531	$437	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,277	$947	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

37.8%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Benton County 37.8%

Arkansas 25.7%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

9.5%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Benton County 9.5%

Arkansas 11.3%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

72,846

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

4.8%

K–12

76.4%

College / Undergraduate

14.8%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

30.1%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Benton County

30.1%

Arkansas

33.4%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	72,846	707,273	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	4.8%	6.1%	5.7%
K–12	76.4%	71.7%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.8%	5.3%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	25%	21.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22.1%	22.3%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	23.6%	22.4%	21.7%
College or graduate school	18.8%	22.2%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	14.8%	17.9%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4%	4.2%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	30.1%	33.4%	40.9%
School type
Public school	84.8%	86.4%	82%
Private school	15.2%	13.6%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

201,229

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

4.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

5.2%

HS graduate

27.8%

Some college no degree

17.6%

Associates degree

7.4%

Bachelors degree

24.8%

Graduate or professional degree

13%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

55.1% · 44.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

53.7% · 46.3%

HS graduate

49.9% · 50.1%

Some college no degree

47.6% · 52.4%

Associates degree

40.8% · 59.2%

Bachelors degree

49.1% · 50.9%

Graduate or professional degree

54.5% · 45.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Population (25+)	201,229	2,059,172	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	4.3%	4.3%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	5.2%	7%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	27.8%	34.1%	26%
Some college, no degree	17.6%	20.7%	19.1%
Associate's degree	7.4%	8.2%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.8%	25.7%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	24.8%	16.3%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	13%	9.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	90.5%	88.7%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$56,181

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$38,001

HS graduate

$42,856

Some college or associates

$50,102

Bachelors degree

$74,549

Graduate or professional degree

$104,147

Poverty Rate

2.6%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

18.1%

HS graduate

8.4%

Some college or associates

6.2%

Bachelors degree or higher

2.6%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Benton County	Arkansas	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$56,181	$44,499	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$38,001	$31,882	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$42,856	$36,880	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$50,102	$41,256	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$74,549	$57,697	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$104,147	$74,020	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	18.1%	26.8%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	8.4%	17.1%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	6.2%	11.9%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	2.6%	4.7%	4.5%

Insights for Benton County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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