• county
  • FIPS 27009
  • Largest town: Sauk Rapids

Benton County, Minnesota

Benton County had 41,881 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 408.3 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 83rd by land area.

Population
41,881
#25 of 87 in Minnesota · #1,159 in US
Area
408.3 sq mi
#83 of 87 in Minnesota · #2,474 in US
Density
103 / sq mi
#14 of 87 in Minnesota · #884 in US
Median household income
$74,677
#29 of 87 in Minnesota · #690 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Benton County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Benton County

Benton County population, land area and income

Benton County had 41,881 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 408.3 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 83rd by land area. That works out to 102.6 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents; Benton County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $74,677 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

41,881

3144th1st

1159th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

408 sq mi

3144th1st

2474th of 3,144 (US)

Density

102.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

884th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$74,677

3143rd1st

690th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

41,881

87th1st

25th of 87 (MN)

Land area

408 sq mi

87th1st

83rd of 87 (MN)

Density

102.6 / sq mi

87th1st

14th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$74,677

87th1st

29th of 87 (MN)

How Benton County's population changed since 2020

Benton County gained 523 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.3%. That ranks 35th of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Benton County recorded 2,106 births and 1,735 deaths, a natural change of +371. Net international migration added +362 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -251. The largest single component was natural change, which added 371 people.

41.4k202041.5k202141.6k202241.6k202341.9k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
2,106
Deaths
1,735
Net international migration
+362
Net domestic migration
-251
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+264

Where Benton County is

The Census internal point of Benton County is at 45.701200, -94.001400. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Benton County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Benton County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
45.701200, -94.001400
DMS
45°42'4.32"N 94°00'5.04"W
UTM
15N 422043.0E 5061337.2N
Geohash
cbj5uzwkb
Plus code
86Q7PX2X+FC

Towns in Benton County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Benton County, 28,033 people together, or 67% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Benton County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Sauk Rapids with 13,832.

  1. 01Sauk Rapids13,832
  2. 02St. Cloud (part)7,170
  3. 03Foley2,666
  4. 04Rice2,207
  5. 05Sartell (part)2,153
  6. 06Royalton (part)5
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Benton County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Benton County. The most populous is Stearns County, MN, with 163,997 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 67.6 miles SE of Benton County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Minneapolis, MN (population 428,579), 62.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Sauk Rapids, MN (population 13,832), 10.4 miles away.

Benton County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Benton County is 27009: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 009. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $74,677.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Benton County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 41,881. That is up 523 people (1.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 41,358.

What is the FIPS code of Benton County?

27009. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (009) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Benton County?

Sauk Rapids, with 13,832 residents inside Benton County in 2024.

Which counties border Benton County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Stearns County, MN; Sherburne County, MN; Morrison County, MN; Mille Lacs County, MN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.