Benton County, Iowa

IA · FIPS 19011 Republican

Located in Iowa, Benton County has a population of 25,724 residents and a median age of 43.1 years, making it the #1,627 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 7.4%. The median home value is $208,200, and the median household income is $86,962, which is 16% above the national median.

25,724
Population
#1,627 of 3,222
$86,962
Median Income
+15.7% #373 of 3,222
43.1 years
Median Age
+10.8% #1,181 of 3,222
7.4%
Poverty Rate
-41.4% #260 of 3,222

Demographics

Benton County has a population of 25,724, making it the #1,627 most populous county in the US. The median age is 43.1 years, which is 10.8% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.2%
Native Born
0.8%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Benton County is $86,962, ranking #373 out of 3,222 counties — 15.7% above the national median. The poverty rate is 7.4% and unemployment stands at 2.0%.

Income#373
$86,962
+15.7%
vs nation
88th percentile
Per Capita#640
$41,865
+1.5%
vs nation
80th percentile
Poverty#260
7.4%
-41.4%
vs nation
92th percentile
Unemployment#288
2.0%
-62.0%
vs nation
91th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Benton County is $208,200 (-26.1% vs national). Renters pay a median of $826/mo and the homeownership rate is 85.0%.

Home Value#1,324
$208,200
-26.1%
vs nation
59th percentile
Rent#1,915
$826
-29.0%
vs nation
40th percentile
Homeownership#121
85.0%
+32.0%
vs nation
96th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Benton County, 25.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 24.2% below the national average, ranking #1,165 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
25.6% −24.2% vs nation
Rank #1,165 of 3,222
64th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Benton County is 79.2 years. 15.6% of adults report poor or fair health and 4.5% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#348
79.2
+5.4%
vs nation
89th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#689
15.6%
-20.3%
vs nation
78th percentile
Diabetes#957
9.7%
-12.9%
vs nation
70th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#866
34.7%
-7.0%
vs nation
73th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#271
4.8
-14.9%
vs nation
91th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#404
3.7
-17.0%
vs nation
87th percentile
Uninsured Rate#89
4.5%
-57.1%
vs nation
97th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,586
26.1%
-1.1%
vs nation
50th percentile
Food Insecurity#205
9.5%
-34.1%
vs nation
94th percentile

Substance Use

16.6% of adults in Benton County smoke , 41.7% are obese , and 27.0% report excessive drinking.

Adult Smoking#1,148
16.6%
-7.6%
vs nation
64th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,558
41.7%
+10.0%
vs nation
19th percentile
Excessive Drinking#3,134
27.0%
+36.0%
vs nation
0th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 23.0 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 20.6 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#1,916
23.0
+16.8%
vs nation
25th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,191
16.4
-8.3%
vs nation
52th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,657
20.6
+1.8%
vs nation
41th percentile

Families & Children

9.1% of children in Benton County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 10.9 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#512
10.9
-49.9%
vs nation
83th percentile
Child Poverty#249
9.1%
-52.1%
vs nation
92th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Benton County is 75.1%. The mean commute time is 27.3 min, which is 1.2% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
75.1% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
27.3 min −1.2% vs nation
Rank #1,421 of 3,222
56th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Benton County voted Republican with a margin of 33.2%. The vote was 32.8% Dem / 66% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.6 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +33.2%
32.8% 66%
Dem 14,470 votes Rep
2020 REP +27.6%
35.2% 62.8%
Dem 14,642 votes Rep
2016 REP +26.0%
34.1% 60.1%
Dem 13,690 votes Rep
2012 REP +0.6%
49.1% 49.7%
Dem 13,959 votes Rep
2008 DEM +4.5%
51.5% 47%
Dem 13,712 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Benton County, Iowa

Benton County, Iowa has a total population of 25,724, making it the 1,627th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Benton County is 43.1 years, which is 10.8% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Benton County is $86,962, which ranks #373 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 15.7% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 7.4%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 2.0%.

The median home value in Benton County is $208,200, 26.1% below the national median. Renters in Benton County pay a median gross rent of $826 per month. The homeownership rate is 85.0%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Benton County, 25.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 24.2% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 97.0% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 27.3 min.

Benton County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 94.4% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.0%).

All data for Benton County, Iowa comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.