Martin Mine, 1915
Benton’s story
Benton in pictures
Census counts: 254 in 1880, 946 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and a map from 1952 on.
Explore the history →Population
528
2025 Census estimate · +9.8% since 2020
Median home value
$288K
Census ACS
Household income
$79K
median
Median age
47.9
years
Jobs based here
76
A commuter town
Is Benton a good place to live?
Benton’s median age is 47.9 years, above both Wisconsin’s towns (42.1 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Benton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
528 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
New DiggingsCuba CityHazel GreenHazel GreenVinegar Hill TownshipSmelserCouncil Hill TownshipElk GroveBenton
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Benton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Benton, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCuba City Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers67% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpMondayTrash dayTown site
SchoolsBenton School DistrictCuba City School District2 districts serve Benton; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Benton ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes53807, 53811, 5380353807 61% · 53811 20% · 53803 19%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Benton.
Work & commute
Most of Benton’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Benton for work: only 0% work in town. Jobs based in Benton grew to 76 in 2023, 48 more than in 2013. At 21 minutes, Benton’s average trip to work is below both the Wisconsin town median (22 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).
0%work in town
| Benton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Benton0%
Dubuque12%
Platteville8%
Shullsburg7%
Dodgeville5%
17 mi
median commute distance
76
jobs based in Benton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Benton, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Benton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 11° and about 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.
40″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–31°
Spring37–58°
Summer60–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 15
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Cold waves leads a low hazard risk in Benton
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities.
34risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Benton is
Benton beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Benton.
| Benton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better27 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Benton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.7% | 6.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 6.6% |
Southwest Health Center
10.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
An age mix much like Wisconsin’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin average. Benton has grown 9.8% since 2020, to 528 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 19% of Benton residents are under 18.
47.9median age · WI 40.2
| Benton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 20% | 18% |
BentonWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
20%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school41%
Some college18%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate10%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.2 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Benton | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.9% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.4% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.6% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.7% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.7% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
1.9%conserved
| Benton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
1.9%
conserved · 336 of 17,809 acres
10 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 19 attractions →Charles Mound and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Benton. Close and well known come first.
9 mi MountainCharles Mound
15 mi MuseumNational Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium250K visitors a year12 mi MuseumChicago Athenaeum
15 mi TheatreFive Flags Center
20 mi MuseumApple River Fort
37 mi MuseumNational Farm Toy MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Charles Mound: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Five Flags Center: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Apple River Fort: IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Farm Toy Museum: Madmaxmarchhare of English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Benton
18pages on Benton
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Benton
About 2 of every 100 Benton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Benton for work
Where Benton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
76jobs based in Benton
0%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Benton
Village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin
Benton is a village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 946 at the 2020 census. The village is surrounded by the Town of Benton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 860 ft
- ZIP code
- 53803
- Area code
- 608
Questions about Benton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Benton, WI a good place to live?
Benton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.