Photo: Tennessee Valley Authority · Public domainHow is Benton run?
Benton’s city government spent $3.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $695 per resident. Water and other utilities ($6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Benton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $695 per resident a year, or $1.90 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$662 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Benton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($662 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $695, and the middle half spent $519–$1,027. Benton spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($892,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Benton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Benton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $662 · 2023: $683 · 2024: $695. Per resident it went from $662 to $695 (up 5%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,467 to 4,762.
full-time in March 2025, down from 54 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,125 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Benton’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Benton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Benton →
Who’s in charge in Benton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Benton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofbenton.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 95 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,762).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Marshall County School District
Benton’s K–12 school district, shared with Calvert City, Hardin. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,556 per pupil, $8,284 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Benton’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Benton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Marshall County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.7%13,677 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.0%3,700 votesOthers: 1.3% (225 votes).
Most votes in Marshall County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Benton lies in Marshall County. Every 2024 race in Marshall County is on the county’s page.
Marshall County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Benton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofbenton.org ↗
- 2Kentucky HouseState representatives
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Benton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Benton’s government
How much does Benton spend per resident?
About $695 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $662 was less than 54% of 85 Kentucky cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Benton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,125 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofbenton.org.
Who runs Benton’s government?
See cityofbenton.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Benton yet.
How did Benton vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Benton alone. Marshall County, where 100% of Benton lies, voted Trump 77.7%, Harris 21.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Benton?
50 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $277,569 (about $3.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Benton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Danny Carroll) and State House District 6 (Chris Freeland). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Benton’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →