Benton County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Benton County, Minnesota had an estimated 41,881 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 41,377, across 408 square miles. County output reached $2.40 bn in 2024, 975 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 94 7(a) approvals worth $42.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Benton County
How many people live in Benton County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202441,593
- Households16,719
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$74,410
- Median age36.2
- Median gross rent$982 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$271,000
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over27,499
- Population under 1810,527
- Share under 1825.3 percent
- Population 65 and over5,827
- Share 65 and over14.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6425,239
- Civilian labor force23,255
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over74.9 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties25th of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1174th of 3,222
Benton County is the 25th largest of 87 Minnesota counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.3 percent against 14.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Benton County
Is Benton County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202441,881
- Census 2020 base population41,377
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.22 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024264
- Births, 2024491
- Deaths, 2024354
- Natural change, 2024137
- Net domestic migration, 202448
- Net international migration, 202477
- Total net migration, 2024125
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-208
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1412th of 3,144
The county has grown 1.22 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Benton County
Where are people moving to Benton County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,704
- People arriving, from those returns2,948
- Tax returns filed by households leaving1,762
- Net household movement-58
- Adjusted gross income arriving$84.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-20.4 m
- Average income of an arriving household$49,520
- Average income of a leaving household$59,453
- Largest single originStearns County (757 households)
- Largest single destinationStearns County (747 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns County | 757 | 1,351 | $40.1 m |
| Sherburne County | 159 | 268 | $7.9 m |
| Hennepin County | 73 | 104 | $3.2 m |
| Morrison County | 68 | 119 | $4.6 m |
| Mille Lacs County | 57 | 87 | $2.3 m |
| Wright County | 55 | 105 | $3.3 m |
| Anoka County | 44 | 73 | $1.7 m |
| Ramsey County | 30 | 66 | $1.1 m |
Households arriving report $9,933 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Stearns County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Benton County
What is the Benton County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$2.40 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.35 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.1 percent
- GDP change over five years27.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Minnesota areas BEA publishes27th of 87
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1127th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$57,648
Output grew 2.1 percent in the latest year and 27.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Benton County
Employment by industry in Benton County
- Covered employment, annual average17,384
- Establishments reporting1,063
- Average annual pay$55,955
- Average weekly wage$1,076
- Manufacturing, employment3,397
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$62,193
- Construction, employment2,569
- Construction, average annual pay$84,088
- Health care and social assistance, employment2,335
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$37,523
- Retail trade, employment1,823
- Retail trade, average annual pay$37,436
- Wholesale trade, employment1,275
- Accommodation and food services, employment1,038
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,397 | 68 | $62,193 |
| Construction | 2,569 | 194 | $84,088 |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,335 | 131 | $37,523 |
| Retail trade | 1,823 | 96 | $37,436 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,275 | 40 | $72,133 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,038 | 58 | $19,661 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 494 | 44 | $50,999 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 492 | 49 | $49,634 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 3,397 jobs, 19.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Benton County
How many businesses are in Benton County?
- Establishments, all industries975
- Employment at those establishments16,944
- Annual payroll$909.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Benton County
Building permits in Benton County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202482
- Declared construction value permitted$26.0 m
- Single family units authorized75
- Multifamily units authorized7
- Multifamily share of units8.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$317,622
- Units authorized per 1,000 households4.9
Single-family homes are 91.5 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Benton County
SBA loans in Benton County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded94
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$42.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$451,367
- Median 7(a) approval$250,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,174,230
- Largest single approval$3,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,343
- Jobs per approval14.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active20
- Distinct industries receiving approvals50
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer17.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms16
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter75
- Franchise loans5
- Franchise share of approvals5.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countMachine Shops (10)
- Most active lenderFalcon National Bank (23)
- 504 approvals recorded47
- 504 gross approval dollars$29.3 m
- Average 504 approval$623,553
- Median 504 approval$416,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval8.6
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.9
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (39)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$71.7 m
The average approval of $451,367 sits well above the median of $250,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 17.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Benton County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Benton County
Do SBA loans in Benton County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded36
- Paid in full36
- Charged off0
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full36
- Status: Exempt from disclosure55
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Of the 36 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Benton County
SBA lending by place in Benton County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending7
- Sauk Rapids, approvals43
- Foley, approvals20
- St. Cloud, approvals15
- Rice, approvals9
- Royalton, approvals4
- Oak Park, approvals2
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Sauk Rapids | 43 | $18,253,800 |
| Foley | 20 | $9,410,200 |
| St. Cloud | 15 | $10,494,600 |
| Rice | 9 | $3,078,400 |
| Royalton | 4 | $699,000 |
| Oak Park | 2 | $300,500 |
| Sartell | 1 | $192,000 |
Sauk Rapids accounts for 43 approvals against 20 in Foley. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Benton County
How large is Benton County?
- Land area408 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties83rd of 87
- Width, east to west28.7 mi
- Height, north to south18.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land102
- Establishments per square mile2.39
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Benton County
Flood risk in Benton County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Benton County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 270019
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate85.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Benton County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Benton County (community 270019), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Benton County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 85.7 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Benton County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Benton County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202441,593
- Households16,719
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$74,410
- Median age36.2
Common questions
Benton County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Benton County, Minnesota?
The Census Bureau estimates 41,881 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 41,593, in 16,719 households, ranking 25th of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Benton County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.22 percent since the 2020 census base of 41,377, to 41,881 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 491 births against 354 deaths, with net migration of 125. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Benton County?
$74,410. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $271,000, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $982 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Benton County?
975 establishments, employing 16,944 people with an annual payroll of $909.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Benton County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 3,397 jobs, 19.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 17,384 jobs at an average annual pay of $55,955, or $1,076 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Benton County?
94 7(a) approvals totaling $42.4 m since FY2020, across 20 lenders, with a median approval of $250,000, plus 47 504 approvals worth $29.3 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Benton County get paid back?
Of the 36 loans that have reached a final outcome, 36 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge-off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Benton County?
82 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $26.0 m. Multifamily was 8.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Benton County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Benton County come from?
The largest single origin is Stearns County, with 757 households. Arriving households report an average income of $49,520 against $59,453 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Benton County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Benton County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Benton County
Cities and places in Benton.
8 Census places lie wholly or partly in Benton County. All 8 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Cloud | city | 70,629 | 15 | 8.6 percent here, 79.0 percent Stearns County, 12.4 percent Sherburne County |
| Sartell | city | 19,758 | 1 | 11.4 percent here, 88.6 percent Stearns County |
| Sauk Rapids | city | 13,852 | 43 | Wholly in this county |
| Foley | city | 2,675 | 20 | Wholly in this county |
| Rice | city | 2,085 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Royalton | city | 1,211 | 4 | 16.5 percent here, 83.5 percent Morrison County |
| Gilman | city | 233 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ronneby | CDP | 67 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 2 of the county's 94 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Benton County, the largest being Oak Park (2). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby