Red Brick School House 1897, 2014
Benson’s story
155 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,451 in 2000, 1,492 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
- 1871Benson is settled
BensonUT
A town of 1,776, settled in 1871.
Population
1,776
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$545K
+5.2% in a year
Household income
$93K
median
Median age
32.6
years
Jobs based here
188
A commuter town
Is Benson a good place to live?
Benson’s best subject grades are an A for schools and cost of living. Only 8 of Utah’s 173 towns score higher on cost of living. On the outdoors, just 14 of Utah’s 173 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Bud Phelps Wildlife Management Area, at 280 acres. Benson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Benson stand out
Where Benson beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Benson for work
Where Benson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
188jobs based in Benson
1%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Benson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Utah), ordered by how far Benson is from typical.
SchoolsBeat 90% of Utah districts on tests and graduationAOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →HealthIntermountain Health Logan Regional Hospital 5.4 miles awayB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.2 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 4.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 43% of U.S. communities; earthquakes tops the listBOpen →Jobs & income$93K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Benson: who provides what
Benson is unincorporated, so Cache County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerRocky Mountain Power13.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBenson Culinary Improvement DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesCache CountyCache County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Utah you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCache County ClerkCache County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes84335, 84339, 8432184335 39% · 84339 33% · 84321 28%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 13, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Benson.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
A smaller share of working residents in Benson work locally than in the typical Utah or U.S. town
Half the trips to work are shorter than 7 miles. Benson had 188 jobs in 2023, up 67 from 2013. In Benson, the average trip to work is 20 minutes, below both the Utah town median (22 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Logan (34%), North Logan (8%) and Salt Lake City (5%).
1%work in town
| Benson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 6.2% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Benson1%
Logan34%
North Logan8%
Salt Lake City5%
Ogden4%
7 mi
median commute distance
188
jobs based in Benson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
On CDC estimates, Benson is healthier than 69% of U.S. towns
The share of adults in Benson who had a checkup this year is 72%, close to Utah’s towns (72%) and below U.S. towns (79%). CDC measures, 32 in all: Benson beats Utah on 2 and trails on 13. 10% of Benson adults binge drink. Only 10 of the 119 Utah towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Benson.
69%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Benson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Utah
2 better17 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Benson | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10% | 12.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 70.2% | 65.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.1% | 4.6% |
Intermountain Health Logan Regional Hospital
5.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Benson: four seasons and hot summers
In July, afternoons reach 90°; in January, nights fall to 17°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–35°
Spring36–60°
Summer54–86°
Fall35–63°
Oct 12
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Moderate risk in Benson, with earthquakes at the top
Of the losses FEMA expects in Benson, 47% come from earthquakes and 30% from inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, Benson sits below 57% of U.S. communities.
43risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Who lives here
An age mix much like Utah’s
For residents in Benson, the share who are 65 or older is 12%. The age mix tracks Utah closely: no broad group is more than 4 points off. The town’s age of the median resident stands at 32.6 years. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Utah.
32.6median age · UT 32
| Benson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.6 years | 32.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 11% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 36% | 29% |
BensonUtahUnited States
Ages · share of residents
21%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma7%
High school27%
Some college23%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s17%
Graduate19%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 41% and 63% women
The Census survey reached too few of Benson’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±11.2 points. Across Utah, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Benson | UT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 20.7% | 14.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 13.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 11.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.1% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 20.8% | 13.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 3.8% | 11% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.9% | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8% | 7.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.3% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 6.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.5% | 22.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.3% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 9.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 24.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.6% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
HousingCost of living grade A
Zillow puts the typical Benson home at about $545K
Typical home values rose 5.2% in the year to September 2026. In Benson, 74% of households live in a home they own.
$545KZillow home value
Typical home value
Benson$545K
Utah$533K
+5.2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsC−
Open space protected for good: 1.5% of Benson
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 21 miles of trail. Benson’s density of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
1.5%conserved
| Benson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
1.5%
conserved · 322 of 21,056 acres
21 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bud Phelps Wildlife Management Area | 0.3 mi | 280 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 23 attractions →Bear Lake and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Benson. Close and well known come first.
35 mi LakeBear Lake
27 mi MountainBen Lomond Mountain38 mi Ski areaSnowbasin Resort157 runs · 3,000 ft vertical
27 mi National Historical ParkGolden Spike National Historical Park54K visitors a year27 mi Ski areaPowder Mountain Ski Resort155 runs · 2,755 ft vertical25 mi Ski areaBeaver Mountain54 runs · 1,607 ft verticalSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Bear Lake: kla4067, CC BY 2.0 · Ben Lomond Mountain: Joe Tordiff, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Golden Spike National Historical Park: Unknown, Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Benson
17pages on Benson
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Benson
About 3 of every 100 Benson residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Utah.
About Benson
Census-designated place in Cache County, Utah
Benson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cache County, Utah, United States. It is immediately south of Amalga, across Utah State Route 218, and is west of the Logan-Cache Airport. The population was 1,492 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of February 2024, the Benson community was engaged in the process of becoming an incorporated municipality.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1871
- Area
- 33 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,429 ft
Benson’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Benson.
PeterLoganAmalgaCacheWellsvilleBenson
How the neighbors grade
| Town | UT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | — | — | A | — | A | B+ |
| Peter | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Logan | #88 | B | B− | B− | B | A− |
| Amalga | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cache | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wellsville | #6 | A+ | C+ | — | A | A+ |
Benson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Benson and Wellsville report no FBI crime data of their own. Peter, Amalga and Cache aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Benson with a neighbor →
Questions about Benson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Benson, UT expensive?
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 A.