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The Benson Visitor Center, a replica of the Benson railroad stationPhoto: Richard N Horne · CC BY 4.0
The Benson handbook

Living in Benson, AZ: what to set up and who to call

Tap water in Benson comes from Benson, City of Water System, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. Power in Benson comes from Sulphur Springs Valley E C, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Benson, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Benson.

Electricity

Power comes from Sulphur Springs Valley E C

Sulphur Springs Valley E C (Sulphur Springs Valley E C Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Benson. Its homes paid an average of 14.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Arizona).

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Benson, City of Water System

Benson, City of Water System supplies almost all of Benson. It draws ground water and serves 5,355 people in all.

No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.

Lead, 90th percentile0.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2025–Dec 2027, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.

The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report

EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. AZ0402005.

Internet

7 home internet providers serve Benson

88% of 2,742 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Cox CommunicationsCable, Fiber87%1,000/35
CenturyLinkDSL7%10/1
MTE CommunicationsFixed wireless97%300/100
Integrated Elements UnlimitedFixed wireless87%100/8
VerizonFixed wireless73%300/20
T-MobileFixed wireless51%100/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Benson’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Benson.

Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Benson kids go to
PK–5Benson Primary SchoolBenson Unified School District
6–8Benson Middle SchoolBenson Unified School District
9–12Benson High SchoolBenson Unified School District

Most of Benson (62%) is in St. David Unified District; parts are in Benson Unified School District (38%).

B+School gradeSee Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.

ZIP codes & area codes

Benson is in ZIP code 85602

ZIP codes where Benson residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of BensonZIP’s residents in Benson
85602Benson, AZ100%53%
Area code520Wikidata

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

Getting around, the ER and the library

One line each; the subject pages have the rest.

Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.

Questions about living in Benson

Who supplies Benson’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

Benson, City of Water System (EPA ID AZ0402005). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2025–Dec 2027), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Benson?

Sulphur Springs Valley E C (Sulphur Springs Valley E C Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Benson?

Cox Communications, CenturyLink, MTE Communications, Integrated Elements Unlimited, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Benson?

85602. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Benson in?

St. David Unified District. Parts of the city are in Benson Unified School District.

How do I register to vote in Benson?

In Arizona you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before). Elections here are run by the Cochise County Recorder. Check your registration at my.arizona.vote.

Sources & dates

Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.

  • Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
  • Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
  • Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
  • ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
  • Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
  • Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
  • Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
  • Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.