Benton County, Minnesota: Farm Belt county. In 2024, voted R+36%. Republican peak: R+64 in 1920.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+36MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Farm BeltAkashic typology
- Population
- 41,5932024 5-year
- Median household income
- $74,4102024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 86.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 5.5%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.5%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+48 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+64 in 1920MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Meeker County, MN · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Benton CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Benton County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −9.1% |
| 1896 | +5.3% |
| 1900 | −6.0% |
| 1904 | −46.1% |
| 1908 | −12.8% |
| 1912 | +4.9% |
| 1916 | −3.6% |
| 1920 | −63.9% |
| 1924 | −27.2% |
| 1928 | +7.0% |
| 1932 | +48.1% |
| 1936 | +22.8% |
| 1940 | −12.0% |
| 1944 | −13.9% |
| 1948 | +22.2% |
| 1952 | −19.6% |
| 1956 | −15.8% |
| 1960 | +11.3% |
| 1964 | +24.7% |
| 1968 | +6.9% |
| 1972 | −3.9% |
| 1976 | +19.5% |
| 1980 | −2.0% |
| 1984 | −16.1% |
| 1988 | −1.7% |
| 1992 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | +8.8% |
| 2000 | −11.1% |
| 2004 | −10.8% |
| 2008 | −9.7% |
| 2012 | −13.6% |
| 2016 | −36.1% |
| 2020 | −31.9% |
| 2024 | −35.8% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 7,084 | 15,260 | 22,824 | ||
| R | 7,280 | 14,382 | 22,260 | ||
| R | 5,640 | 12,872 | 20,058 | ||
| R | 8,173 | 10,849 | 19,619 | ||
| R | 8,454 | 10,338 | 19,339 | ||
| R | 8,059 | 10,043 | 18,384 | ||
| R | 6,009 | 7,663 | 14,908 | ||
| D | 6,006 | 4,835 | 13,233 | ||
| D | 5,156 | 5,053 | 14,371 | ||
| R | 5,861 | 6,060 | 12,040 | ||
| R | 4,922 | 6,830 | 11,883 | ||
| R | 5,272 | 5,513 | 11,782 | ||
| D | 6,235 | 4,099 | 10,965 | ||
| R | 4,282 | 4,652 | 9,426 | ||
| D | 4,022 | 3,470 | 8,016 | ||
| D | 4,679 | 2,818 | 7,520 | ||
| D | 4,175 | 3,324 | 7,515 | ||
| R | 2,609 | 3,591 | 6,216 | ||
| R | 2,587 | 3,856 | 6,476 | ||
| D | 3,632 | 2,297 | 6,015 | ||
| R | 2,258 | 2,988 | 5,264 | ||
| R | 2,742 | 3,491 | 6,261 | ||
| D | 3,111 | 1,783 | 5,813 | ||
| D | 3,901 | 1,329 | 5,350 | ||
| D | 2,732 | 2,373 | 5,126 | ||
| O | 572 | 1,629 | 3,888 | ||
| R | 554 | 2,920 | 3,704 | ||
| R | 945 | 1,020 | 2,078 | ||
| O | 562 | 468 | 1,920 | ||
| R | 765 | 1,001 | 1,850 | ||
| R | 433 | 1,205 | 1,676 | ||
| R | 751 | 849 | 1,646 | ||
| D | 867 | 778 | 1,669 | ||
| O | 426 | 577 | 1,662 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
40.2%
Polish
10.9%
Irish
8.4%
English
4.9%
American
2.6%
French
2.3%
Scottish
1.0%
African American
4.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 36.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$74,410
Benton County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Benton County$74,410
Minnesota$89,062
United States$80,734
Benton County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.9%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1810.5%
Working age (18–64)9.6%
Seniors (65+)10.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.5%
speak English only
Other languages2.0%
Spanish1.8%
Other Indo-European0.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 47.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Benton County has shifted decisively rightward over the past two decades, delivering presidential margins exceeding 30 points in recent cycles. Its population of roughly 34,000 is anchored by small agricultural communities and the city of Foley.
The Republican margin here reached sixty-four points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirty-six points.
A population of 41,593, a 87% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $74,410 describe an agricultural county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Meeker County and Morrison County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Benton County, Minnesota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/27009/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Minnesota
More farm belt counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Benton County, Minnesota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Benton County, Minnesota voted Republican by 35.8 points (R+36), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 22,824 votes cast, 7,084 went Democratic and 15,260 went Republican.
What is Benton County, Minnesota's political typology?
Akashic places Benton County, Minnesota in the "Farm Belt" typology — Rural Plains and Midwest farm counties — Republican, with modest recent movement. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 11 times, Republican 20 times, and other 3 times.
When did Benton County, Minnesota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Benton County, Minnesota voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in Benton County, Minnesota?
Benton County, Minnesota has a population of 41,593 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Benton County, Minnesota?
Median household income in Benton County, Minnesota is $74,410 — below the national median of $80,734. The Minnesota state median is $89,062.
What is the political history of Benton County, Minnesota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Benton County, Minnesota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 11 went Democratic and 20 went Republican. The county's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.