Benton County, Arkansas

Not to be confused with Benton, Arkansas.

Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County Courthouse, July 2011
Seal of Benton County, Arkansas Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Founded	30 September 1836
Named for	Thomas Hart Benton
Seat	Bentonville
Largest city	Rogers
Area
• Total	884 sq mi (2,290 km2)
• Land	847 sq mi (2,194 km2)
• Water	37 sq mi (96 km2), 4.1%
Population
• (2010)	221,339
• Density	261/sq mi (101/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.benton.ar.us

Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 221,339, making it the second-most populous county in Arkansas. The county seat is Bentonville. The county was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator from Missouri. In 2012, Benton County voters elected to make the county wet, or a non-alcohol prohibition location.

Benton County is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 884 square miles (2,290 km²), of which 847 square miles (2,190 km²) is land and 37 square miles (96 km²) (4.1%) is water. Most of the water is in Beaver Lake.

Adjacent counties

• Barry County, Missouri (north)
• Carroll County (east)
• Madison County (southeast)
• Washington County (south)
• Adair County, Oklahoma (southwest)
• Delaware County, Oklahoma (west)
• McDonald County, Missouri (northwest)

National protected areas

• Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge
• Ozark National Forest (part)
• Pea Ridge National Military Park

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	2,228		—
1850	3,710		66.5%
1860	9,306		150.8%
1870	13,831		48.6%
1880	20,328		47.0%
1890	27,716		36.3%
1900	31,611		14.1%
1910	33,389		5.6%
1920	36,253		8.6%
1930	35,253		−2.8%
1940	36,148		2.5%
1950	38,076		5.3%
1960	36,272		−4.7%
1970	50,476		39.2%
1980	78,115		54.8%
1990	97,499		24.8%
2000	153,406		57.3%
2010	221,339		44.3%
Est. 2014	242,321		9.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

Age pyramid Benton County

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 153,406 people, 58,212 households, and 43,484 families residing in the county. The population density was 181 people per square mile (70/km²). There were 64,281 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.87% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 1.65% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.08% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 8.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of 2005 Benton County's population was 81.7% non-Hispanic white, while the percentage of Latinos grew by 60 percent in the time period. Latinos are attracted to the growth of light industrial jobs, home construction and service sector in the county. 1.1% of the population was African-American (perhaps the lowest in all of Arkansas); 1.6% was Native American (the historical presence of the Cherokee Indians live in close proximity to Oklahoma); 1.7% was Asian (there was a large influx of Filipinos, Vietnamese and South Asian immigrants arrived in recent decades) and 0.2% of the population was Pacific Islander. 1.6% reported two or more races, usually not black-white due to a minuscule African-American population. And 12.8% was Latino, but the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce believed the official estimate is underreported and Latinos could well be 20 percent of the population.

There were 58,212 households out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.00% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,281, and the median income for a family was $45,235. Males had a median income of $30,327 versus $22,469 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,377. About 7.30% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

As of census 2010 the county population was 221,339. The racial makeup of the county was 76.18% Non-Hispanic white, 1.27% black, 1.69% Native American, 2.85% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 0.10% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 1.93% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 15.49% Hispanic or Latino.

Politically, Benton County is arguably one of the most Republican-Leaning Counties in all of Arkansas. As a matter of fact, Benton County has not voted Democrat in a Presidential election since 1948 when a former senator from bordering Missouri Harry S. Truman won Benton County along with winning Arkansas as a whole.

Economy

• Wal-Mart corporate headquarters is located in Bentonville.
• Daisy Outdoor Products, known for its air rifles, is headquartered in Rogers.
• JB Hunt Transport Services corporate headquarters is located in Lowell.
• Tyson Foods, based in nearby Springdale, has a distribution center located in Rogers.

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 49
• U.S. Highway 62
• U.S. Highway 71
• U.S. Highway 412
• Highway 12
• Highway 16
• Highway 43
• Highway 59
• Highway 72
• Highway 94
• Highway 102

The historic Trail of Tears is on US highways 62 and 71, connects with another US route 412 in nearby Washington County.

Airport

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport is located near Highfill.

Rail

The Arkansas and Missouri Railroad parallels US Highways 62 and 71 in the county.

Communities

Cities

• Bella Vista
• Bentonville (county seat)
• Bethel Heights
• Cave Springs
• Centerton
• Decatur
• Elm Springs
• Gentry
• Gravette
• Little Flock
• Lowell
• Pea Ridge
• Rogers
• Siloam Springs
• Springdale (mostly in Washington County)
• Sulphur Springs
• War Eagle

Towns

• Avoca
• Garfield
• Gateway
• Highfill
• Springtown

Census-designated places

• Cherokee City
• Hiwasse
• Lost Bridge Village
• Maysville

Townships

Townships in Benton County, Arkansas as of 2010

Note: Most Arkansas counties have names for their townships. Benton County, however, has numbers instead of names.

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Benton County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Township	FIPS code	ANSI code (GNIS ID)	Population center(s)	Pop. (2010)	Pop. density (/mi²)	Pop. density (/km²)	Total area (mi²)	Total area (km²)	Land area (mi²)	Land area (km²)	Water area (mi²)	Water area (km²)	Geographic coordinates
Township 1	05-93626	01989186	all of: Garfield, Gateway, Lost Bridge Village, Prairie Creek; parts of: Avoca, Rogers	13,223	113.79	43.93
Township 2	05-93628	01989194	small parts of: Lowell, Rogers, Springdale	14,279	150.33	58.04
Township 3	05-93630	01989187	parts of: Lowell, Rogers, Springdale; most of Bethel Heights	20,037	1,903.93	735.03
Township 4	05-93632	01989188	all of Cave Springs ; most of the following: Lowell, Rogers, Springdale (within Benton County); small parts of Elm Springs	25,596	518.70	200.28
Township 5	05-93634	01989189	part of Rogers	12,792	2,873.32	1,109.45
Township 6	05-93636	01989190	most of Little Flock; almost half of Avoca; small parts of Bentonville, Pea Ridge, Rogers	14,033	671.18	259.15
Township 7	05-93638	01989191	most of Pea Ridge; part of Bella Vista; small part of Bentonville	20,317	331.80	128.10
Township 8	05-93640	01989192	part of Bentonville	12,637	1,575.69	608.43
Township 9	05-93642	01989193	most of: Bentonville, Centerton; small part of Highfill	31,362	638.18	246.36
Township 10	05-93644	01989195	most of: Bella Vista, Hiwasse	16,402	385.73	148.97
Township 11	05-93645	01989196	all of: Cherokee City, Decatur, Gravette, Maysville, Sulphur Springs; small parts of: Centerton, Highfill, Hiwasse	12,273	59.13	22.83
Township 12	05-93646	01989197	most of Gentry; more than half of Siloam Springs	15,158	361.65	139.58
Township 13	05-93647	01989198	all of Springtown; most of Highfill; small parts of: Elm Springs, Gentry, Springdale	13,230	94.13	36.35
Source: Source:

See also

• List of lakes in Benton County, Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Benton County, Arkansas

External links

• Official Website of Benton County, Arkansas
• Benton County Code of Ordinances
• County Records Online