Benton, Kentucky

Benton, Kentucky
City
Benton in 1939 Benton in 1939
Location of Benton, Kentucky Location of Benton, Kentucky
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Marshall
Area
• Total	4.32 sq mi (11.18 km2)
• Land	4.26 sq mi (11.04 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation	427 ft (130 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,349
• Density	1,007.4/sq mi (388.96/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	42025
Area code(s)	270 & 364
FIPS code	21-05824
GNIS feature ID	0486888
Website	www.cityofbenton.org

Benton is a city in Marshall County, Kentucky, United States. The current mayor of this city is Rita Dotson. The population was 4,349 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. Benton was named for Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri.

Shape-note singers gather annually at Benton on the fourth Sunday in May to sing from a tunebook called The Southern Harmony. This event, organized in 1884 and called The Big Singing or Big Singing Day, is considered by many to be the oldest indigenous musical tradition in the United States. Benton is also known for an annual festival called "Tater Day", which attracts residents from all over the Jackson Purchase and involves games, deep fried food, and a parade.

Geography

Benton is located at (36.855231, -88.354047).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	165		—
1880	277		—
1890	344		24.2%
1900	664		93.0%
1910	824		24.1%
1920	897		8.9%
1930	1,021		13.8%
1940	1,906		86.7%
1950	1,980		3.9%
1960	3,074		55.3%
1970	3,652		18.8%
1980	3,700		1.3%
1990	3,899		5.4%
2000	4,197		7.6%
2010	4,349		3.6%
Est. 2014	4,329		−0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 4,349 people, 1,809 households, and 1,154 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,007.4 people per square mile (389.0/km²). There were 2,032 housing units at an average density of 470.7 per square mile (181.73/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White (96.4% non-Hispanic), 0.4% African American, 0.1% Native American and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 1,809 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

The age distribution was 21.5% under 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.

Based on 2008–2012 estimates from the American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the city was $42,342, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Among full-time workers, males had a median income of $47,895 versus $29,272 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,959. About 4.5% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Benton is part of the Marshall County School District. There are eleven schools in the district, not including the technical school that is incorporated with the single high school.

For the 2011 to 2012 school year, there were approximately 4,838 students enrolled.