Benton County Demographics

A map of Benton County's Population by Race

Benton County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 16,006, a less than 1% change from the 15,864 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 89.7% White, 4.4% Multiracial, 2.8% Hispanic, 1.5% Black, 1.0% Asian, and 0.6% 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 more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Tennessee 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 17.6% in 2020 and 19.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Benton County is ranked the 77th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Benton County was ranked the 76th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Benton County's White Population

14,350 residents of Benton County, or 89.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Benton County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Benton County ranks 29th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Benton County's population has decreased from 90.6% to 89.7%.

Benton County is more White than neighboring Henry County (85.9% White), and Carroll County (83.7% White). Benton County is less White than neighboring Houston County (90% White), and Decatur County (90.1% White).

Benton County's Black Population

233 residents of Benton County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Benton County is considerably lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Benton County ranks 58th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Black population has declined by an estimated 26.3%. Black residents' share of Benton County's population has decreased from 2.0% to 1.5%.

Benton County is less Black than neighboring Humphreys County (1.8% Black), Henry County (6.6% Black), Carroll County (8.3% Black), Houston County (2.6% Black), and Decatur County (2.7% Black).

Benton County's Asian Population

166 residents of Benton County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Benton County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Benton County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 55.1%. Asian residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.0%.

Benton County is more Asian than neighboring Humphreys County (0.3% Asian), Henry County (0.6% Asian), Carroll County (0.3% Asian), and Houston County (0.3% Asian). Benton County is less Asian than neighboring Decatur County (1.4% Asian).

Benton County's Hispanic Population

454 residents of Benton County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Benton County is slightly lower than in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Benton County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 21.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.8%.

Benton County is less Hispanic than neighboring Humphreys County (2.9% Hispanic), Henry County (3% Hispanic), Carroll County (3.1% Hispanic), Houston County (3.2% Hispanic), and Decatur County (3.7% Hispanic).

Benton County's Native American/Other Population

101 residents of Benton County, or 0.6% 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 Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Benton County ranks 50th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 20.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Benton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Benton County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Henry County (0.5% Native American/Other), Carroll County (0.2% Native American/Other), Houston County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Decatur County (0.3% Native American/Other). Benton County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Humphreys County (1.1% Native American/Other).

Benton County's Multiracial Population

702 residents of Benton County, or 4.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Benton County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Benton County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Benton County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 16.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Benton County's population has increased from 3.8% to 4.4%.

Benton County is more Multiracial than neighboring Humphreys County (4.2% Multiracial), Henry County (3.4% Multiracial), Carroll County (4.3% Multiracial), Houston County (3.8% Multiracial), and Decatur County (1.9% 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.