Benton, Arkansas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benton, Arkansas
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Saline County Courthouse, located in the heart of downtown Benton.
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Location in Saline County and the state of Arkansas
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 Benton, Arkansas
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Arkansas |
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| County | Saline | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Mayor-Council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 23.42 sq mi (60.65 km2) | ||
| • Land | 22.88 sq mi (59.27 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.54 sq mi (1.39 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 472 ft (144 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 35,014 | ||
| • Density | 1,530.06/sq mi (590.77/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
72015, 72018-19, 72158
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| Area code(s) | 501 | ||
| FIPS code | 05-05290 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2403855 | ||
Benton is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States. A suburb of Little Rock, it was established in 1837. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,014, making it the 12th most populous city in Arkansas. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city of Benton, first settled in 1833 and named after Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, was formally chartered in 1836 when Arkansas became a state.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.4 square miles (48 km2), of which 17.9 square miles (46 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (2.71%) is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Benton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Benton, Arkansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1907–1913, 1937–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) |
97 (36) |
91 (33) |
95 (35) |
100 (38) |
104 (40) |
112 (44) |
111 (44) |
106 (41) |
98 (37) |
86 (30) |
80 (27) |
112 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 71.2 (21.8) |
74.6 (23.7) |
81.9 (27.7) |
85.8 (29.9) |
90.6 (32.6) |
95.4 (35.2) |
99.4 (37.4) |
99.9 (37.7) |
95.9 (35.5) |
89.3 (31.8) |
79.4 (26.3) |
73.4 (23.0) |
101.3 (38.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52.5 (11.4) |
57.1 (13.9) |
65.7 (18.7) |
74.5 (23.6) |
81.6 (27.6) |
89.0 (31.7) |
92.9 (33.8) |
92.6 (33.7) |
86.7 (30.4) |
76.0 (24.4) |
64.1 (17.8) |
54.8 (12.7) |
74.0 (23.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 41.6 (5.3) |
45.7 (7.6) |
53.6 (12.0) |
62.2 (16.8) |
70.6 (21.4) |
78.8 (26.0) |
82.6 (28.1) |
81.7 (27.6) |
74.8 (23.8) |
63.5 (17.5) |
52.2 (11.2) |
44.0 (6.7) |
62.6 (17.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30.6 (−0.8) |
34.3 (1.3) |
41.4 (5.2) |
49.9 (9.9) |
59.6 (15.3) |
68.6 (20.3) |
72.3 (22.4) |
70.8 (21.6) |
62.8 (17.1) |
51.0 (10.6) |
40.3 (4.6) |
33.2 (0.7) |
51.2 (10.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 15.9 (−8.9) |
20.1 (−6.6) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
35.3 (1.8) |
44.5 (6.9) |
57.9 (14.4) |
63.7 (17.6) |
61.4 (16.3) |
48.9 (9.4) |
35.1 (1.7) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
19.6 (−6.9) |
12.6 (−10.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) |
−17 (−27) |
6 (−14) |
23 (−5) |
31 (−1) |
44 (7) |
50 (10) |
46 (8) |
31 (−1) |
20 (−7) |
7 (−14) |
−2 (−19) |
−17 (−27) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.84 (98) |
4.20 (107) |
5.05 (128) |
5.63 (143) |
5.22 (133) |
3.94 (100) |
4.16 (106) |
3.52 (89) |
3.80 (97) |
4.37 (111) |
4.77 (121) |
4.91 (125) |
53.41 (1,357) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.6 (1.5) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.3 (3.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.2 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 74.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 452 | — | |
| 1890 | 647 | 43.1% | |
| 1900 | 1,025 | 58.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,708 | 66.6% | |
| 1920 | 2,933 | 71.7% | |
| 1930 | 3,445 | 17.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,502 | 1.7% | |
| 1950 | 6,277 | 79.2% | |
| 1960 | 10,399 | 65.7% | |
| 1970 | 16,499 | 58.7% | |
| 1980 | 17,717 | 7.4% | |
| 1990 | 18,177 | 2.6% | |
| 2000 | 21,906 | 20.5% | |
| 2010 | 30,681 | 40.1% | |
| 2020 | 35,014 | 14.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 27,156 | 77.56% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 3,441 | 9.83% |
| Native American | 158 | 0.45% |
| Asian | 488 | 1.39% |
| Pacific Islander | 11 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,730 | 4.94% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,030 | 5.8% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 35,014 people, 13,082 households, and 8,913 families residing in the city.
Education
Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary students is provided by:
- Benton School District, which leads to graduation from Benton High School (majority of the city)
- Bryant Public Schools, which operates Bryant High School
- Bauxite School District
A small area near Frontage Road to the southeast is physically in the Harmony Grove School District, which operates Benton Harmony Grove High School.
Notable people
- Ann Clemmer – Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
- Lanny Fite – Ann Clemmer's successor in the state House District 23; former Saline County county judge
- Wes Gardner – Former relief pitcher for the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and others
- Stuart Greer – film and television actor, is a part-time resident
- Kim Hammer – Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from District 28 in Saline County
- Kenneth Henderson – Republican member of the Arkansas House for Pope County; former Benton resident
- Cliff Lee – Major League Baseball's 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner for the Cleveland Indians
- Ewell Ross McCright – World War II POW
- Justin Moore – country artist, born in nearby Poyen, currently resides in Benton
- Joe Purcell – Arkansas governor for six days in 1979; Democratic lieutenant governor and attorney general
- Charlie Rich – Multiple Grammy Award winning country artist
See also
In Spanish: Benton (Arkansas) para niños
