Benson, Minnesota

Benson, Minnesota
—  City  —
Location of Benson, Minnesota
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Swift
Area
 • Total 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
 • Land 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,047 ft (319 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 3,240
 • Density 1,360.5/sq mi (525.3/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 56215
Area code(s) 320
FIPS code 27-05212[2]
GNIS feature ID 0639933[3]
Website www.bensonmn.org

Benson is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States, which is located along the Chippewa River. The population was 3,240 at the 2010 census.[1] It is the county seat of Swift County[4].

Contents

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), all of it land.

U.S. Route 12 and Minnesota State Highways 9 and 29 are three of the main routes in the city.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1880 456
—
1890 877 92.3%
1900 1,525 73.9%
1910 1,677 10.0%
1920 2,111 25.9%
1930 2,095 −0.8%
1940 2,729 30.3%
1950 3,398 24.5%
1960 3,678 8.2%
1970 3,484 −5.3%
1980 3,656 4.9%
1990 3,235 −11.5%
2000 3,376 4.4%
2010 3,240 −4.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,376 people, 1,451 households, and 880 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,360.5 people per square mile (525.6/km²). There were 1,566 housing units at an average density of 631.1 per square mile (243.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.07% White, 0.24% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

There were 1,451 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,234, and the median income for a family was $44,638. Males had a median income of $31,280 versus $23,444 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,269. About 3.2% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

Climate data for Benson, Minnesota
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 19.8
(−6.8)		 26.1
(−3.3)		 38.6
(3.7)		 56.6
(13.7)		 70.6
(21.4)		 79.6
(26.4)		 84.4
(29.1)		 81.6
(27.6)		 71.7
(22.1)		 59.4
(15.2)		 40.1
(4.5)		 24.2
(−4.3)		 54.4
(12.4)
Average low °F (°C) 0.3
(−17.6)		 6.6
(−14.1)		 20.3
(−6.5)		 34.4
(1.3)		 46.4
(8.0)		 56.1
(13.4)		 61
(16)		 58.2
(14.6)		 48.4
(9.1)		 37
(3)		 22.6
(−5.2)		 7
(−14)		 33.2
(0.7)
Rainfall inches (mm) 0.9
(23)		 0.9
(23)		 1.7
(43)		 2.4
(61)		 3
(76)		 4.4
(112)		 3.5
(89)		 3.4
(86)		 2.8
(71)		 2.4
(61)		 1.3
(33)		 0.8
(20)		 27.5
(699)
Snowfall inches (cm) 9.7
(24.6)		 8.4
(21.3)		 9.3
(23.6)		 1.9
(4.8)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.5
(1.3)		 5.6
(14.2)		 7.6
(19.3)		 42.7
(108.5)
Source: Weatherbase [5]

Alternative energy

Benson is the home of the United States' first biomass powerplant, Fibrominn which opened in 2007.

Benson is also home to the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC), which produces E85.

References

  1. ^ a b "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  5. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical weather for Benson, Minnesota USA". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=766012. Retrieved January 9, 2009. 

External links

Municipalities and communities of Swift County, Minnesota, USA
County seat: Benson
Cities
Townships