Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,532, settled in 1880. 2.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Arizona town.
Benson gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $252K for a typical one, or 4.2 years of the Sierra Vista metro’s $60K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 74th of 139 in Arizona. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $49K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Benson, above both the Arizona town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Benson's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns. Benson has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oasis Court and Hi Wo Company Grocery.
Where Benson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 348 in 1890, 5,355 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 5 maps from 1926 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Benson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Benson, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Benson.
Benson trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is a second-home town and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Benson since 2022.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Benson Unified School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Benson High School, with 402 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 507 | B |
| Benson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 402 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $252K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 38 miles.
The median rent in Benson is $783 a month. The typical Benson home is worth about $252,000, about the same as a year ago, 40% below the Arizona typical home. 60% of Benson households own their home.
| Benson | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $783 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
17.3% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 5.2% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
People 65 and older are 31% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide). Benson’s median age is 50.6 years. Benson has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 5,532 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Benson | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.6 years | 41.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Benson | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.7% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.1% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.9% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.8% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.6% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.7% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.7% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.2% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.9% | 13% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
30 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lions Park, at 36 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lions Park | — | 36 |
| 2. Apache Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 94.1°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 33.7°.
Benson has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Benson | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 5,541 U.S. towns with household incomes like Benson’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Benson beats the Arizona average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 46% of adults have high blood pressure in Benson.
| Benson | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 21% | 19% |
| What stands out | Benson | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.3% | 15.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.4% | 73.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.7% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 4 of Benson’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Benson has added 175 jobs, to 2,199 in 2023. The top destinations are Tucson (22%), Phoenix (8%) and Sierra Vista (6%).
| Benson | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Benson. Close and well known come first.
17 mi National ParkSaguaro National Park848K visitors a year
5 mi CaveKartchner Caverns State Park20 mi AttractionThe Thing?
35 mi MuseumPima Air & Space Museum
6 mi National forestCoronado National Forest
21 mi MuseumBird Cage TheatreSaguaro National Park: Luke Jones from Yucca Valley, CC BY 2.0 · Kartchner Caverns State Park: Mike Lewis, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pima Air & Space Museum: The original uploader was MCB at English Wikipedia. Later versions were uploade, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Coronado National Forest: Zereshk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bird Cage Theatre: Hawkeye58, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Benson; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Benson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
9 places in Benson on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Cochise County, Arizona
Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,355. It was founded as a rail terminal for the area, and is located approximately 45 miles (72 km) east-southeast of the city of Tucson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Benson grades C overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #74 of 139 in Arizona. It grades C+ for health and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the 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+.
