Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Benton Township earns a D, 690th among Illinois's 767 graded towns, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 82% of the country. Its public schools trail 79% of Illinois towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: much of its housing is old. 26% of residents are 65 or older in Benton Township, above both Illinois’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). A typical home costs about $84K, 1.5 years of the county’s $57K median household income.
Where Benton Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Benton Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 380 in 1860, 6,709 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1885 and a map from 1941 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Benton Township, 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 Benton Township.
Against the 7,614 U.S. towns with household incomes like Benton Township’s, it is less healthy than 67%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
16% of Benton Township adults report frequent physical distress. Benton Township beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 41% of Benton Township adults have obesity.
| Benton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Benton Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.1% | 75.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Benton CCSD 47. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Benton Cons High School, with 604 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Grade Sch K-4Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 571 | B− |
| Benton Cons High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 604 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
17% of residents live below the poverty line in Benton Township. The top destinations are Benton (18%), Mount Vernon (14%) and Marion (8%). Half commute less than 20 miles.
| Benton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Benton Township has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Benton Township is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Benton Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Benton Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Benton City Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Benton Township
About 2 of every 100 Benton Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Benton is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Illinois. The population was 6,709 at the 2020 census. In 1839, Franklin County was split roughly in half and the county seat was permanently fixed "at a hill at the south end of Rowling's Prairie", the site of the future city of Benton. Benton's namesake is Missouri senator Thomas Hart Benton. The village of Benton was organized in 1841 on 20 acres (8.1 ha) of property donated by John Ewing and Walter S. Akin. In 1902, the village became a city, and incorporated under the mayor/commissioner form of government. The Franklin County Courthouse sat in the center of the Public Square. It was the fourth courthouse that served the people…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Benton Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township | #690 | D | B+ | — | C− | C− |
| Frankfort Township | #744 | D | A− | — | D | D |
| Browning Township | — | — | B+ | — | C | C− |
| Ewing Township | — | — | B | — | B− | C |
| Hanaford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eastern Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Browning Township and Ewing Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Benton Township, Frankfort Township, Browning Township and Ewing Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hanaford and Eastern Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Benton Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Benton Township grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #690 of 767 in Illinois. It grades C− for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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+.