Benton County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benton County
U.S. county
Benton County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1837
Named for	Thomas Hart Benton
Seat	Vinton
Largest city	Vinton
Area
• Total	718 sq mi (1,860 km2)
• Land	716 sq mi (1,850 km2)
• Water	2.2 sq mi (6 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,575
• Density	35.620/sq mi (13.753/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Benton County is a county located in the state of Iowa in the United States. In 2020, about 25,575 people lived here.

The main city and county seat is Vinton. A county seat is like the main town where the county government offices are. The county is named after Thomas Hart Benton. He was a very important U.S. Senator from Missouri.

Benton County is also part of the larger Cedar Rapids area. This is a big city area called a Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History of Benton County

Benton County was officially created on December 21, 1837. It was formed from parts of another area called Dubuque County.

As mentioned, it was named after Thomas Hart Benton. He was a U.S. Senator who served for many years.

Geography and Location

Benton County covers a total area of about 718 square miles. Most of this area, about 716 square miles, is land. The rest, about 2.2 square miles, is water. This means only a small part (0.3%) of the county is water.

Main Roads in Benton County

Many important roads pass through Benton County. These roads help people travel and transport goods.

Neighboring Counties

Benton County shares its borders with several other counties. Knowing these helps you understand its location better.

• Black Hawk County (to the northwest)
• Buchanan County (to the northeast)
• Linn County (to the east)
• Iowa County (to the south)
• Tama County (to the west)

Population and People

The number of people living in Benton County has changed over the years. This information comes from the U.S. Census. A census is a count of the population done every ten years.

This graph shows how the population of Benton County has changed over time, based on U.S. census data.

What the 2020 Census Shows

In 2020, the census counted 25,575 people in Benton County. This means there were about 36 people living in each square mile. Most people (93.04%) identified as non-Hispanic White.

There were 11,076 homes in the county. About 10,282 of these homes were lived in.

This chart, called a population pyramid, shows the age and gender of people living in Benton County in 2022.

Cities and Towns

Benton County has many different communities. These include cities, towns, and other areas.

Cities in Benton County

Townships in Benton County

Benton County is also divided into smaller areas called townships. There are twenty townships in total.

Other Places to Know

• Watkins is a special type of community called a Census-designated place (CDP). This means it's an area identified by the Census Bureau for statistical purposes.

How Communities Rank by Population

This table shows the population of the cities and towns in Benton County, based on the 2020 census.

† The county seat

Schools and Education

Benton County has several school districts that serve its communities. These districts help educate the children and young people in the area.

• Belle Plaine Community School District
• Benton Community School District
• Center Point-Urbana Community School District
• College Community School District
• Independence Community School District
• North Linn Community School District
• Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District
• Union Community School District

There was once a special school called the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School. It helped students who were blind or had low vision.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Benton (Iowa) para niños