Benton County Demographics

A map of Benton County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	24,293	24,077	94.4%	94.1%
Multiracial	709	757	2.8%	3.0%
Hispanic	507	462	2.0%	1.8%
Black	104	112	0.4%	0.4%
Asian	60	79	0.2%	0.3%
Native American/Other	51	88	0.2%	0.3%

Benton County, Iowa has an estimated population of 25,724, a less than 1% change from the 25,575 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 94.4% White, 2.8% Multiracial, 2.0% Hispanic, 0.4% Black, 0.2% Asian, and 0.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Benton County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Benton has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Iowa overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Benton County, that probability was 11.3% in 2020 and 10.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Benton County is ranked the 25th most populous county in Iowa, out of 99 counties. Benton County was ranked the 25th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Benton County's White Population

24,293 residents of Benton County, or 94.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Benton County is considerably higher than in Iowa overall, where 82.3% of the population is White. Benton County ranks 20th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 94.4%.

Benton County is more White than neighboring Iowa County (92.5% White), Black Hawk County (78.1% White), Linn County (82.4% White), and Tama County (78.4% White). Benton County is less White than neighboring Buchanan County (95% White).

Benton County's Black Population

104 residents of Benton County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Benton County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Benton County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Black population has declined by an estimated 7.1%. Black residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Benton County is more Black than neighboring Iowa County (0.3% Black). Benton County is less Black than neighboring Buchanan County (0.6% Black), Black Hawk County (9.1% Black), Linn County (5.9% Black), and Tama County (0.9% Black).

Benton County's Asian Population

60 residents of Benton County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Benton County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Benton County ranks 73rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 24.1%. Asian residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Benton County is less Asian than neighboring Black Hawk County (2.7% Asian), Linn County (2.4% Asian), and Tama County (0.7% Asian).

Benton County's Hispanic Population

507 residents of Benton County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Benton County is lower than in Iowa overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Benton County ranks 87th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.0%.

Benton County is more Hispanic than neighboring Buchanan County (1.9% Hispanic). Benton County is less Hispanic than neighboring Iowa County (3.4% Hispanic), Black Hawk County (5.2% Hispanic), Linn County (4.1% Hispanic), and Tama County (11.7% Hispanic).

Benton County's Native American/Other Population

51 residents of Benton County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Benton County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Benton County ranks 70th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 42.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Benton County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Buchanan County (0.1% Native American/Other). Benton County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Iowa County (0.8% Native American/Other), Black Hawk County (1% Native American/Other), Linn County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Tama County (5.4% Native American/Other).

Benton County's Multiracial Population

709 residents of Benton County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Benton County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.5% of the population is Multiracial. Benton County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 6.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.8%.

Benton County is more Multiracial than neighboring Iowa County (2.7% Multiracial), and Buchanan County (2.2% Multiracial). Benton County is less Multiracial than neighboring Black Hawk County (3.9% Multiracial), Linn County (4.7% Multiracial), and Tama County (2.9% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.