Benton County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,864. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Camden. The county was created in December 1835 and organized in 1836. Benton County is located in northwest Tennessee, bordering the western branch of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

and 30 miles south of the

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

border. Aside from Camden, other major communities include agrarian communities Big Sandy and Holladay. It is known well in the area for its duck hunting and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

industries, and in the past, was recognized for

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

production, although it is no longer produced there.

History

Benton County was formed in 1835 from part of Humphreys County. It was named in honor of David Benton (1779–1860), who was an early settler in the county and a member of the Third Regiment, Tennessee Militia in the Creek War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (9.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Stewart County (northeast) * Houston County (northeast) * Humphreys County (east) * Perry County (southeast) * Decatur County (south) * Carroll County (west) * Henry County (northwest)

National protected area

* Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected areas

*Big Sandy Wildlife Management Area (part) *Camden Wildlife Management Area * Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park *Harmon Creek Wildlife Management Area *Lick Creek Wildlife Management Area * Natchez Trace State Forest (part) * Natchez Trace State Park (part) *New Hope Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,864 people, 6,762 households, and 3,832 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 16,537 people, 6,863 households, and 4,886 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 8,595 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.44%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.10%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 6,863 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.82. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.00% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 27.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,679, and the median income for a family was $32,727. Males had a median income of $29,177 versus $19,038 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $14,646. About 11.90% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.90% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Radio stations

* WRJB-FM 95.9 "Magic 95.9 the Valley" * WRQR-FM 105.5 (Henry Co) "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning" * WTPR-AM 710 (Henry Co) "The Greatest Hits of All Time" * WTPR-FM 101.7 (Henry Co) "The Greatest Hits of All Time"

Newspapers

The Camden Chronicle * Tennessee Magnet Publications

Communities

City

* Camden (county seat)

Town

* Big Sandy

Census-designated places

* Eva * Holladay

Unincorporated community

* Post Oak

Politics

References

External links

Benton County, TN Government Web SiteBenton County-Camden Chamber of CommerceBenton County SchoolsTNGenWeb
{{Coord, 36.07, -88.07, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990 1836 establishments in Tennessee Populated places established in 1836 West Tennessee