Benton County, MS

County

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2023 Population

7,592

0.589% 1-year decline

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

43.9

5.28% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

17.6%

0.348% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$42,139

8.75% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$109,300

13.6% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

3,209

1.35% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Benton County, MS had a population of 7.59k people with a median age of 43.9 and a median household income of $42,139. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Benton County, MS declined from 7,637 to 7,592, a −0.589% decrease and its median household income grew from $38,750 to $42,139, a 8.75% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Benton County, MS are White (Non-Hispanic) (60.6%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (34.2%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.29%), Other (Hispanic) (1.94%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (0.408%).

None of the households in Benton County, MS reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.4% of the residents in Benton County, MS are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Benton County, MS was $109,300, and the homeownership rate was 83.3%.

Most people in Benton County, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 37.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Benton County, MS was 2 cars per household.

Benton County, MS borders Marshall County, MS, Tippah County, MS, Union County, MS, Fayette County, TN, and Hardeman County, TN.

United States Mississippi Memphis, TN-MS-AR

Population & Diversity

Benton County, MS is home to a population of 7.59k people, from which 95.4% are citizens. As of 2023, 6.43% of Benton County, MS residents were born outside of the country (488 people).

In 2023, there were 1.77 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.6k people) in Benton County, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 174 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.4%

2023 Citizenship

95.8%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 95.4% of Benton County, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Benton County, MS was 95.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Benton County, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Benton County, MS

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.6k ± 5
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.6k ± 126
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
174 ± 112

2.23%

Hispanic Population

169 people

2.23% of the people in Benton County, MS are hispanic (169 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Benton County, MS as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Mississippi.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
16,383 ± 3,134 people
India
5,084 ± 1,749 people
Guatemala
3,926 ± 1,537 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Mississippi was Mexico, the natal country of 16,383 Mississippi residents, followed by India with 5,084 and Guatemala with 3,926.

Foreign-Born Population

6.43%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

488 people

6.85%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

523 people

As of 2023, 6.43% of Benton County, MS residents (488 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Benton County, MS was 6.85%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Benton County, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
127 ± 84
Vietnam
107 ± 57
Gulf War (1990s)
57 ± 60

Benton County, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.19 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Benton County, MS employs 3.21k people. The largest industries in Benton County, MS are Manufacturing (511 people), Construction (478 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (427 people), and the highest paying industries are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,691), Finance & Insurance ($56,691), and Educational Services ($45,208).

Males in Mississippi have an average income that is 1.39 times higher than the average income of females, which is $46,477. The income inequality in Mississippi (measured using the Gini index) is 0.452, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

3.21k

2023 Value

± 446

−1.35%

1 Year decline

± 20%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Benton County, MS declined at a rate of −1.35%, from 3.25k employees to 3.21k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Benton County, MS, are Production Occupations (486 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (438 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (333 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Benton County, MS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Mississippi (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

3.21k

2023 Value

± 446

−1.35%

1 Year decline

± 20%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Benton County, MS declined at a rate of −1.35%, from 3.25k employees to 3.21k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Benton County, MS, are Manufacturing (511 people), Construction (478 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (427 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Benton County, MS, though some of these residents may live in Benton County, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$32,191

Median earning men ± $5,910

$33,386

Median earning women ± $1,979

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($142,647), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,042), and Public Administration ($50,962).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,544), Manufacturing ($36,438), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($36,306).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Y-Axis

1.38%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.17M people employed in Mississippi. This represents a 1.38% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 12.5%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Mississippi.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

9
Retail Trade
8
Other Services (except Public Administration)
4
Finance and Insurance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$23.1k
Transportation and Warehousing
$8.03k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$5.43k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Benton County, MS went to Donald J. Trump with 59.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (39.1%), followed by Other (0.653%).

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Mississippi. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Mississippi is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (59.9%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (39.1%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.653%)
Green and Other Party

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Benton County, MS went to Donald J. Trump with 59.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (39.1%), followed by Other (0.653%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Benton County, MS for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Mississippi

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Roger Wicker

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on December 31, 2007
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Trent Lott.

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on April 9, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Thad Cochran.

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing Mississippi.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Mississippi over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Mississippi

Mississippi is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Mississippi have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Measure

In 2022, 1.04% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.852% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (690k), Some college (543k), and Secondary Education (397k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Benton County, MS was $109,300 in 2023, which is 0.36 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $96,200 to $109,300, a 13.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Benton County, MS is 83.3%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Benton County, MS have an average commute time of 37.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Benton County, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2023, 12.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Benton County, MS. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 16.8%.

Housing

Property

$109,300

Median Property Value 2023

±$8,607

$2,521

Median Property Taxes

±$316

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Benton County, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Benton County, MS compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

83.3%

Homeownership

2023

60.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 83.3% of the housing units in Benton County, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 81%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Benton County, MS compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Census Tract 9502

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

The following map shows all of the tracts in Benton County, MS colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$42,139

Median Household Income

± $6,159

3.03k

Number of Households

± 357

In 2023, the median household income of the 3.03k households in Benton County, MS grew to $42,139 from the previous year's value of $38,750.

The following chart displays the households in Benton County, MS distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $10k - $15k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Benton County, MS is from Mississippi.

0.452

2022 Wage GINI in Mississippi

0.45

2021 Wage GINI in Mississippi

In 2022, the income inequality in Mississippi was 0.452 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.553% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Mississippi was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Mississippi in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Mississippi across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (88.7%)
Carpooled (6.58%)
Worked At Home (1.89%)

In 2023, 88.7% of workers in Benton County, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.58%) and those who worked at home (1.89%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

37.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Benton County, MS have a longer commute time (37.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 4.4% of the workforce in Benton County, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Benton County, MS compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Benton County, MS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Benton County, MS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 12.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Benton County, MS. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 16.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

17.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Benton County, MS (1.32k out of 7.49k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Benton County, MS is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 30.5% of the children was living in poverty in Benton County, MS. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 7.7%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

86.7% of the population of Benton County, MS has health coverage, with 32.8% on employee plans, 24% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 11.3% on non-group plans, and 1.09% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Benton County, MS see 8351 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.11% increase from the previous year (8259 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3823 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1529 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

8,351 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Benton County, MS

Primary care physicians in Benton County, MS see an average of 8,351 patients per year. This represents a 1.11% increase from the previous year (8,259 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Benton County, MS in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.5% under 18 years, 14% between 18 and 34 years, 42.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

13.3%

Uninsured

32.8%

Employer Coverage

24%

Medicaid

17.5%

Medicare

11.3%

Non-Group

1.09%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Benton County, MS declined by 3.69% from 13.8% to 13.3%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Benton County, MS changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was N/A in Benton County, MS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Benton County, MS.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 40.8% in Benton County, MS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Benton County, MS.