† 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
GroupBensonMinnesotaUnited States
German42.9%29.2%12.5%
Norwegian28.4%12.1%—
Irish10.7%9.9%9.4%
English7.6%6.6%9.5%
Swedish7.6%6.5%—
American4.1%2.3%5.3%
Polish3.3%3.7%2.2%
French1.5%1.8%1.6%
Mexican6.3%3.9%11.3%
Guatemalan0.9%0.2%0.5%
Puerto Rican0.8%0.3%1.8%
Spanish0.4%——
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
Benson
Minnesota
United States
Median age
39.7
39
39.1
Age 18–24
9.2%
8.8%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
22.5%
17.2%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Benson
Minnesota
United States
Median household income
$52,821
$89,062
$84,427
Poverty rate
9.8%
9.3%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
31.4%
39.4%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Benson
Minnesota
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
2.0%
12.5%
22.3%
Spanish
1.7%
4.2%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Benson
Minnesota
United States
Catholic
—
19.5%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
11.8%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
50.6%
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.
Benson, Minnesota
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+12.1%
2008
+14.0%
2012
+11.1%
2016
−19.2%
2020
−27.5%
2024
−26.9%
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
35.8%Harris576
62.7%Trump1,009
1.5%
R+26.9
D+0.5
R+25.4
1,609
R
35.6%Biden605
63.0%Trump1,072
1.4%
R+27.5
R+8.3
R+31.9
1,701
R
37.0%Clinton589
56.2%Trump894
6.8%
R+19.2
R+30.2
R+21.2
1,592
D
54.4%Obama913
43.3%Romney727
2.3%
D+11.1
R+2.9
D+7.2
1,679
D
55.4%Obama961
41.5%McCain719
3.1%
D+14.0
D+1.8
D+6.7
1,734
D
55.2%Kerry1,063
43.0%Bush829
1.8%
D+12.1
—
D+14.6
1,926
Benson anchors Swift County, a sparsely populated farming region where presidential candidates have swung the margin by double digits across recent cycles, reflecting broader volatility in Minnesota's rural west.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 14.0 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 27.5 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 0.5 points toward the Democratic candidate; the 2024 margin was 26.9 points.
A population of 3,441, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $52,821 describe the city.
In 2024, Benson, Minnesota voted Republican by 26.9 points (R+26.9), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,609 votes cast, 576 went Democratic and 1,009 went Republican.
When did Benson, Minnesota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Benson, Minnesota voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Benson, Minnesota?
Benson, Minnesota has a population of 3,441 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Benson, Minnesota?
Median household income in Benson, Minnesota is $52,821 — below the national median of $80,734. The Minnesota state median is $89,062.
What is the political history of Benson, Minnesota?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Benson, Minnesota from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 3 went Republican.
