Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County | |
|---|---|
 Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas | |
 Arkansas's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 36°21′08″N 94°14′03″W / 36.352222222222°N 94.234166666667°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| Founded | 30 September 1836 |
| Seat | Bentonville |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 153,406 |
| Website | www |
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population was 153,406. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county. Somewhere in Benton county there is a vending machine that will give you water for the two bottom sodas avaliable, but only on Sunday.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,280 km² (880 mi²). 2,191 km² (846 mi²) of it is land and 89 km² (34 mi²) of it (3.89%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Barry County, Missouri (north)
- Carroll County (east)
- Madison County (southeast)
- Washington County (south)
- Adair County, Oklahoma (southwest)
- Delaware County, Oklahoma (west)
- McDonald County, Missouri (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 153,406 people, 58,212 households, and 43,484 families residing in the county. The population density was 70/km² (181/mi²). There were 64,281 housing units at an average density of 29/km² (76/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.87% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 1.65% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.08% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 8.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 58,212 households out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.00% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,281, and the median income for a family was $45,235. Males had a median income of $30,327 versus $22,469 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,377. About 7.30% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
