Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Benton grades B− overall, 31st among Arkansas's 123 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 88% of Arkansas towns on state tests and graduation. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 84% of U.S. towns, including 172 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its National Register listings include Gan Row Historic District and Gann Building. Benton’s violent crime rate is 4.4 per 1,000 residents, above both Arkansas’ towns (3.6) and U.S. towns (1.6). Bernard W Holland Park, at 27 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Benton beats most towns.
Shoppach House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ringgold Elementary School | PK–4 | 511 |
| Perrin Elementary School | K–4 | 465 |
| Hurricane Creek Elementary | K–5 | 435 |
Census counts: 452 in 1880, 35,014 in 2020. The archive holds 19 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 5 maps from 1938 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Benton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Benton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Benton.
Benton looks healthier within Arkansas than nationally and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its public schools are run by the Benton School District. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–7 | Grades 5–7 | 1,363 | A− |
| Benton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 1,298 | A− |
| Perrin Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 465 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 1,125 to 899 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Benton’s property crime rate is 18.7 per 1,000 residents. Benton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less. Within Arkansas, it does better than 40% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Benton has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Benton is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Benton for work: only 17% work in town. 8.1% of Benton residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Benton has added 2,611 jobs, to 11,949 in 2023.
| Benton | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.4% | 6.1% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
64 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 64 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Benton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Arkansas it is healthier than 75% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
Benton beats the Arkansas average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 11% of adults have diabetes in Benton.
| Benton | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 25% | 19% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Benton | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 18.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10.7% | 13.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Benton home is worth about $240,000, up 2.5% in a year, 7% above the Arkansas typical home.
| Benton | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,072 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Arkansas average. Benton has grown 11% since 2020, to 38,898 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 26% across Arkansas.
| Benton | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.1 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.6 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.2, men 36.4.
| Benton | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.8% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.2% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.1% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.7% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
| Benton | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bernard W Holland Park | 1.2 mi | 27 |
| 2. Tyndall Park | — | 26 |
| 3. Lyle Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Benton. Close and well known come first.
19 mi National Historic SiteLittle Rock Central High School National Historic Site49K visitors a year
26 mi National ParkHot Springs National Park2.5M visitors a year
21 mi MuseumClinton Presidential Center
21 mi Stadium & arenaSimmons Bank Arena26 mi Theme parkMagic Springs and Crystal Falls18 mi Zoo & aquariumLittle Rock ZooLittle Rock Central High School National Historic Site: Adam Jones, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hot Springs National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Clinton Presidential Center: Archipreneur, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Simmons Bank Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Benton
About 4 of every 100 Benton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
30,681 counted in 2010 and 35,014 in 2020; an estimated 38,898 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.1% since 2020, after 14.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
16 places in Benton on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Benton.
City in Arkansas, United States
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 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.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Benton.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | #31 | B− | B | C− | A | C+ |
| Salem | #1 | A+ | A | — | A | B |
| Bryant | #14 | B+ | B+ | C | A | B |
| Bauxite | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Salem reports no FBI crime data of its own. Bauxite isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Benton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Benton grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #31 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 40% of towns.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($67,154 across the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
10 notable people were born here, including Cliff Lee and Arthur Tuck.
.jpg){kind=link}