Photo: dok1 · CC BY 2.0Benton Township ranks among the lowest-earning U.S. towns by household income
19.1% of residents are in poverty (Ohio 13.3%). Household incomes here are among the lowest in the country. The two grades for Benton Township are D− for jobs and income and D− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Benton Township: the gist
Benton Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 50 minutes each way, against 23 across Ohio. Over a year that’s about 383 hours of commuting, 207 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Benton Township is a place people come home to
There are 35 jobs based in Benton Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Benton Township has about 1,000 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
36% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 570 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Benton Township
On income, poverty and job access, Benton Township is better than 2% of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Benton Township’s grade.
Unemployment (0.0%) is left out: Benton Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Benton Township could be anywhere from D− to C.
About 50 minutes to work from Benton Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 16 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Benton Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 332 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Ohio: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The workday shuffle in and out of Benton Township
On a workday 568 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 33 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,000 people are in Benton Township on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than live here.
0.06 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Half of Benton Township commutes less than 24 miles
About 36% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
11% of working residents work in Waverly
Where Benton Township clocks in
11% of workers
7% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Jobs in Benton Township: what the 35 are
35 jobs are based in Benton Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Benton Township, 2013 → 2023: 124 → 35. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Benton Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Driving is how Benton Township gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Benton Township is near the bottom of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Benton Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 362 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.2% of Benton Township households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Benton Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Benton Township sits among U.S. towns of 1,100 to 2,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | New California OH | 1,672 | $162K | 0.0% | 1.1% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Millcreek Township OH | 1,562 | $151K | 2.3% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Bratenahl OH | 1,396 | $138K | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,563 | Crandon WI | 1,726 | $43K | 20.9% | 1.8% | 16% | D− |
| 5,564 | Marion Township MI | 1,603 | $44K | 21.6% | 8.0% | 10% | D− |
| 5,565 | Benton Township OH | 1,576 | $33K | 19.1% | 0.0% | <1% | D− |
| 5,566 | Brighton VT | 1,251 | $47K | 22.0% | 3.9% | 24% | D− |
| 5,567 | Midway AR | 1,279 | $31K | 30.8% | 0.0% | 2% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,794 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Benton Township, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Work in the towns next to Benton Township
The biggest share goes to Mifflin Township (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Benton Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township | – | D− | D− | 50 min | $33,365 |
| Mifflin Township | 5% | — | B | 47 min | — |
| Pebble Township | under 3% | D | D− | 31 min | $59,659 |
| Sunfish Township | under 3% | D | D− | 50 min | $56,653 |
| Perry Township | 4% | — | — | 31 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Perry Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Benton Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Benton Township: questions
What is the median household income in Benton Township?
$33,365 (±$20,849) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Benton Township?
19.1%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Benton Township?
50 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Benton Township work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waverly (11%, 13 mi), Columbus (7%, 59 mi), Chillicothe (6%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Benton Township walkable?
Benton Township is near the bottom of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 3.3 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Benton Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Benton Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Benton Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.