Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,203. Public schools that outperform most of Indiana.
Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades B+, ranked 213th of 585 in Indiana. Its schools outperform 84% of the state's and it has 39 miles of trail and 37% conserved land. 37% of the land in Benton Township is conserved, above both the Indiana town median (1.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Morgan-Monroe State Forest, at 12,872 acres with 37.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Benton Township beats most towns.
36.7% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Benton Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 5 maps from 1947 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →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 Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Benton Township.
Benton Township keeps more of its land conserved than most of Indiana, looks healthier within Indiana than nationally and sends most of its workers to Bloomington and beyond.
Its 13,217 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Indiana town.
39 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Benton Township’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile, above both Indiana’s towns (0.2) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Morgan-Monroe State Forest | 37.3 mi | 12,872 |
| 2. Bob Klawitter Lake Lemon Woods | 0.4 mi | 14 |
| 3. Scarlet Oak Woods | — | 125 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Monroe County Community School Corp. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unionville Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 223 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Benton Township has 270 jobs for its 1,173 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Benton Township for work: only 3% work in town. 15% of Benton Township workers work from home. The top destinations are Bloomington (44%), Indianapolis (11%) and Richland Township (3%).
| Benton Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 15% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Benton Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Indiana it is healthier than 80% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
Benton Township beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 35% of adults feel lonely in Benton Township.
| Benton Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 37% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Benton Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 82.8% | 85.8% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.7% | 77.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Benton Township. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaLucas Oil Stadium
38 mi Stadium & arenaGainbridge Fieldhouse
7 mi Stadium & arenaSimon Skjodt Assembly Hall
27 mi MuseumMiller House and Garden
39 mi LandmarkSoldiers' and Sailors' MonumentMemorial Stadium: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lucas Oil Stadium: Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gainbridge Fieldhouse: Durin at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall: Sean Benham from Chicago, CC BY 2.0 · Miller House and Garden: Nyttend, Public domain · Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument: alexeatswhales, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Benton Township
About 4 of every 100 Benton Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
Where Benton Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Indiana, United States
Benton Township is one of eleven townships in Monroe County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,358 and it contained 1,716 housing units.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Benton Township.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Bloomington Township (B+) comes closest.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township | #213 | B+ | B | — | A− | B |
| Bloomington Township | – | B+ | C | — | A− | B |
| Salt Creek Township | — | — | C− | — | A− | B+ |
| Jackson Township | #351 | B− | A− | — | B | C+ |
| Washington Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Washington Township | #303 | B | A− | — | B | B− |
Salt Creek Township and Washington Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Benton Township, Bloomington Township, Salt Creek Township, Jackson Township, Washington Township and Washington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Benton Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Benton Township grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #213 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
