Benton, KY

Census Place

2024 Population

4,748

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

43.2

1.14% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

11.4%

18.8% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$66,827

5.46% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$157,000

1.63% 1-year decline

Population & Diversity

Benton, KY is home to a population of 4.75k people, from which 98.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.44% of Benton, KY residents were born outside of the country (116 people).

In 2024, there were 28.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.2k people) in Benton, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 146 White (Hispanic) and 104 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Benton, KY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Benton, KY was 98.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Benton, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Benton, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.2k ± 174
White (Hispanic)
146 ± 120
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
104 ± 137

3.58%

Hispanic Population

170 people

3.58% of the people in Benton, KY are hispanic (170 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Benton, KY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Kentucky.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
34,417 ± 4,537 people
Cuba
21,613 ± 3,601 people
India
11,987 ± 2,684 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,417 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 21,613 and India with 11,987.

Foreign-Born Population

2.44%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

116 people

2.47%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

118 people

As of 2024, 2.44% of Benton, KY residents (116 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Benton, KY was 2.47%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Benton, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
147 ± 111
Gulf War (2001-)
48 ± 47

Benton, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.06 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Benton, KY.

Economy

The economy of Benton, KY employs 2.38k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Benton, KY were Retail Trade (399 people), Accommodation & Food Services (246 people), and Other Services, Except Public Administration (245 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($110,068), Transportation & Warehousing ($84,567), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($84,567).

Employment

Occupations

2.38k

2024 Value

± 405

4.81%

1 Year growth

± 23.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Benton, KY grew at a rate of 4.81%, from 2.27k employees to 2.38k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Benton, KY, are Sales & Related Occupations (414 people), Management Occupations (314 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (250 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Benton, KY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kentucky (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.38k

2024 Value

± 405

4.81%

1 Year growth

± 23.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Benton, KY grew at a rate of 4.81%, from 2.27k employees to 2.38k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Benton, KY, are Retail Trade (399 people), Accommodation & Food Services (246 people), and Other Services, Except Public Administration (245 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Benton, KY, though some of these residents may live in Benton, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$37,614

Median earning men ± $10,304

$31,473

Median earning women ± $11,268

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($66,471), Other Services Except Public Administration ($51,154), and Public Administration ($48,672).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($110,171), Public Administration ($58,225), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($34,545).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Benton, KY was $157,000 in 2024, which is 0.472 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $159,600 to $157,000, a 1.63% decrease. The homeownership rate in Benton, KY is 78.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Benton, KY have an average commute time of 27.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Benton, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$157,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,689

$1,525

Median Property Taxes

±$325

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Benton, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Benton, KY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

78.7%

Homeownership

2024

60.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 78.7% of the housing units in Benton, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Benton, KY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$66,827

Median Household Income

± $18,749

1.94k

Number of Households

± 364

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.94k households in Benton, KY grew to $66,827 from the previous year's value of $63,368.

The following chart displays the households in Benton, KY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Benton, KY is from Kentucky.

0.446

2024 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2024, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.585% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kentucky in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kentucky across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.9%)
Worked At Home (13.4%)
Carpooled (4.1%)

In 2024, 79.9% of workers in Benton, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.4%) and those who carpooled to work (4.1%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

27.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Benton, KY have a longer commute time (27.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 6.5% of the workforce in Benton, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Benton, KY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Benton, KY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Benton, KY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Benton, KY (505 out of 4.42k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Benton, KY is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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