Benton is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States. A suburb of Little Rock, it was established in 1837. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,014, making it the 12th most populous city in Arkansas. It is part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan area. The city of Benton, first settled in 1833 and named after Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, was formally chartered in 1836 when Arkansas became a state.
Early industry in Benton included a salt works opened in 1827, pottery making from local deposits of kaolin beginning around 1900, and logging and furniture making from surrounding timber. It had a racetrack preceeding Oaklawn as early as 1838.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (2.71%) is water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Benton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
As of the 2020 census, Benton had a population of 35,014. The median age was 36.8 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.3 males age 18 and over.
99.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 13,737 households in Benton, of which 8,913 were families and 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.4% were married-couple households, 15.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 14,785 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.
At the 2000 census there were 21,906 people in 8,713 households, including 6,186 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 9,315 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.81% White, 4.46% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 8,713 households 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.
The age distribution was 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median household income was $41,503 and the median family income was $51,064. Males had a median income of $32,493 versus $22,386 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,797. About 5.8% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary students is provided by:
A small area near Frontage Road to the southeast is physically in the Harmony Grove School District, which operates Benton Harmony Grove High School.