Benton County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,379. Its county seat is Foley.

Benton County is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Combined Statistical Area.

History Established in 1849 and organized in 1850, the county is one of the oldest in Minnesota. It was named for Thomas Hart Benton, a United States Senator from Missouri. Its county seat for many years was Sauk Rapids, at the confluence of the Sauk and Mississippi Rivers. The county seat moved to Watab in 1856 and returned to Sauk Rapids in 1859. Sauk Rapids became the terminus of a railroad line in 1874, but was destroyed by a tornado in 1886. In 1897 the county seat moved to Foley, where it remains. As St. Cloud expanded into a metropolitan area, the southern part of Benton County became a suburb.

Geography The Mississippi River flows southeast along Benton County's western border, and the Platte River flows south through the county's northwest corner, discharging into the Mississippi at the county's western border. The terrain consists of low rolling hills, wooded or devoted to agriculture.Benton County MN Google Maps (accessed March 5, 2019) It generally slopes to the south and east, although its western portion slopes into the river valleys. The county's highest point is a small hill near the midpoint of the northern border, north of Brennyville, at ASL.Benton County High Point, Minnesota. PeakBagger.com (accessed May 4, 2019) The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Minnesota by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 10 Minnesota State Highway 15 Minnesota State Highway 23 Minnesota State Highway 25 Minnesota State Highway 95

Adjacent counties

Mille Lacs - east Sherburne - south Stearns - west Morrison - north

Lakes

Donovan Lake (part) Graham Lake Little Rock Lake Mayhew Lake

Protected areas

Benlacs State Wildlife Management Area (part) Bibles State Wildlife Management Area Englund Ecotone Scientific and Natural Area Sartell State Wildlife Management Area Wisneski State Wildlife Management Area

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Foley have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Benton County, Minnesota – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)24,88729,72932,76835,93935,82198.81%98.49%95.74%93.47%86.57%Black or African American alone (NH)34612627381,9910.13%0.20%0.77%1.92%4.81%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)551231621461840.22%0.41%0.47%0.38%0.44%Asian alone (NH)601263904204630.24%0.42%1.14%1.09%1.12%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census1648xx0.05%0.01%0.02%Other race alone (NH)39733151090.15%0.02%0.10%0.04%0.26%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2885571,587xx0.84%1.45%3.84%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1121393076321,2160.44%0.46%0.90%1.64%2.94%Total25,18730,18534,22638,45141,379 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 41,379. The median age was 36.9 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 87.4% White, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.9% of the population.

55.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 45.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 16,479 households in the county, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.0% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 17,315 housing units, of which 4.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.7% were owner-occupied and 33.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,451.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,226 people, 13,065 households, and 8,518 families in the county. The population density was . There were 13,460 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.22% White, 0.78% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 47.8% were of German, 12.1% Polish and 8.8% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 13,065 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% 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 3.14.

The county population contained 27.10% under the age of 18, 12.20% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 18.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,968, and the median income for a family was $51,277. Males had a median income of $33,214 versus $22,737 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,008. About 4.50% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.30% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities Cities

Foley (county seat) Gilman Rice Royalton (partial) St. Cloud (partial) Sartell (partial) Sauk Rapids

Townships

Alberta Gilmanton Glendorado Graham Granite Ledge Langola Mayhew Lake Maywood Minden Saint George Sauk Rapids Watab

Census-designated place Ronneby

Unincorporated communities

Brennyville Duelm Fruitville Glendorado Granite Ledge Jakeville Mayhew North Benton Oak Park Parent Popple Creek Rum River Silver Corners Watab

Ghost towns Estes Brook Minden

Government and politics Benton County voters have tended to vote Republican for the past few decades. In 2016 Donald Trump won the county with 64.2%, the highest share of the vote for any presidential candidate since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.

+County Board of CommissionersPositionNameDistrictCommissioner and ChairpersonScott JohnsonDistrict 1CommissionerEd PoppDistrict 2CommissionerSteve HeinenDistrict 3Commissioner and Vice ChairJared J. GapinskiDistrict 4Commissioner and ChairpersonBeth SchlangenDistrict 5 +State Legislature (2022)PositionNameAffiliationDistrictSenateJeff HoweRepublicanDistrict 13SenateAric PutnamDemocratDistrict 14SenateAndrew MathewsRepublicanDistrict 15House of RepresentativesTim O'DriscollRepublicanDistrict 13BHouse of RepresentativesDan WolgamottDemocratDistrict 14BHouse of RepresentativesShane MekelandRepublicanDistrict 15B +U.S Congress (2022)PositionNameAffiliationDistrictHouse of RepresentativesTom EmmerRepublican6thSenateAmy KlobucharDemocratN/ASenateTina SmithDemocratN/A

See also Great River Regional Library National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Minnesota

References

External links Benton County Government’s website Minnesota Department of Transportation's official highway map of Benton County Benton County Fair Benton County Historical Society and Museum (in Sauk Rapids) Sartell Historical Society MNGenUSGen Web Site for Benton County, Minnesota - genealogy Sauk Rapids and Benton County - Images of America Series - approximately 200 vintage photographs Benton County Map