† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupBentonIllinoisUnited States
English15.1%6.9%9.5%
German13.8%16.1%12.5%
Irish11.3%10.6%9.4%
American7.9%3.3%5.3%
Italian5.0%5.4%4.8%
Polish2.5%6.0%2.2%
Scottish2.0%—1.3%
French1.6%0.7%1.6%
Mexican2.5%14.4%11.3%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Benton
Illinois
United States
Median age
42.6
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
7.0%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
25.5%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Benton
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$54,123
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
17.7%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
17.6%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Benton
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
5.1%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
2.2%
14.0%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.2%
2.6%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Benton
Illinois
United States
Catholic
—
24.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
11.7%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
49.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Benton, Illinois
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−10.4%
2008
−4.4%
2012
−16.0%
2016
−41.6%
2020
−42.9%
2024
−45.4%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
26.3%Harris778
71.7%Trump2,119
2.0%
R+45.4
R+2.4
R+43.9
2,955
R
27.8%Biden862
70.8%Trump2,192
1.4%
R+42.9
R+1.4
R+47.4
3,098
R
26.8%Clinton831
68.3%Trump2,121
4.9%
R+41.6
R+25.6
R+43.6
3,104
R
40.9%Obama1,212
56.9%Romney1,685
2.2%
R+16.0
R+11.6
R+19.8
2,962
R
46.5%Obama1,468
50.8%McCain1,606
2.7%
R+4.4
D+6.1
R+11.6
3,159
R
44.7%Kerry1,452
55.1%Bush1,791
0.2%
R+10.4
—
R+8.0
3,248
Benton City sits in Franklin County, where decades of coal industry decline have reshaped the local economy and accelerated a long-running shift toward Republican margins in state and federal contests.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 45.4 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 2.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 45.4 points.
A population of 6,863, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $54,123 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of West Frankfort and Pana.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Benton, Illinois voted Republican by 45.4 points (R+45.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,955 votes cast, 778 went Democratic and 2,119 went Republican.
How many people live in Benton, Illinois?
Benton, Illinois has a population of 6,863 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Benton, Illinois?
Median household income in Benton, Illinois is $54,123 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Benton, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Benton, Illinois from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
