Jobs, pay and daily life in Benton, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Benton is a city in Arkansas with 36,595 residents. The median household earns $72,876 a year and the median rent is $1,072 a month, which is 17.7% of the median household income. It is part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metropolitan area, where BLS counts 358,210 jobs.
How Benton compares. Among the 60 largest places in Arkansas, Benton is #12 by population, #46 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #15 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #16 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, Saline County, is #30 of 75 counties for average pay ($47,454).
Benton has 36,595 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.2% of the population of Arkansas. It covers 23 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,583 people per square mile. The median age is 38.1, about the same as the state median (38.1 against 38.5).
The median gross rent is $1,072 a month (rent plus utilities), 13% above the state median ($1,072 against $947). Over a year that is 17.7% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $212,700, which is 2.9 times the median household income ($72,876); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 68.2% of households own their home, about the same as the state average (68.2% against 66.4%).
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metropolitan area has 358,210 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $45,790 a year, 10% below the national median ($45,790 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (43,620 jobs, median $41,600); transportation and material moving (35,150 jobs, median $40,440); sales and related (33,020 jobs, median $33,560). The area is most specialised in healthcare practitioners and technical (1.4 times) and installation, maintenance, and repair (1.1 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($88,860) and computer and mathematical ($81,450). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Saline County was 3.2%. 66.2% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Saline County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 80.0% drive alone, 0.0% use public transit, 1.0% walk, 9.4% work from home. 9.6% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 16% below the state average (9.6% against 11.4%).
28.3% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 10% above the state share (28.3% against 25.7%). 3.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 46% below the state share (3.0% against 5.4%). The poverty rate is 8.1%, 50% below the state rate (8.1% against 16.0%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 83°F (28.3°C), and the coolest is Jan at 40°F (4.4°C). About 1,367 mm (54 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (150 mm) and Jan the driest (86 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Bryant (5 miles, rent 7% lower); East End (14 miles, similar rent); Little Rock (16 miles, rent 3% higher); Malvern (20 miles, rent 29% lower). Rent differences are against Benton; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Arkansas (245) →State guide: ArkansasCountry guideSaline CountyArkansas rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 245 federal postings open in Arkansas (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Arkansas →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 11,550 | 1.48 | $81,070 | $60,270 | $114,190 | -17% |
| Retail Salespersons | 10,620 | 1.18 | $29,150 | $23,780 | $38,820 | -18% |
| General and Operations Managers | 9,330 | 1.16 | $76,080 | $36,910 | $174,530 | -28% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 8,720 | 0.98 | $27,470 | $23,500 | $34,310 | -12% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 7,990 | 1.22 | $35,340 | $29,750 | $46,370 | -5% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 7,910 | 1.67 | $57,050 | $37,800 | $81,830 | -3% |
| Office Clerks, General | 7,800 | 1.37 | $37,250 | $24,830 | $56,630 | -17% |
| Cashiers | 7,300 | 1.03 | $27,720 | $23,620 | $35,230 | -16% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 6,650 | 1.11 | $38,160 | $29,720 | $56,590 | -15% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 5,870 | 0.86 | $37,440 | $28,300 | $45,200 | -7% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 5,770 | 0.58 | $27,840 | $24,880 | $32,110 | -22% |
| Nursing Assistants | 5,250 | 1.57 | $35,370 | $29,460 | $44,480 | -16% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 5,120 | 0.98 | $24,610 | $23,200 | $46,660 | -30% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 4,990 | 0.98 | $29,660 | $25,340 | $39,300 | -19% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 4,240 | 1.28 | $58,720 | $39,250 | $85,090 | -16% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 3,560 | 1.10 | $30,690 | $27,150 | $37,140 | -18% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 3,480 | 1.10 | $44,470 | $29,510 | $65,630 | -12% |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | 3,390 | 1.62 | $35,790 | $28,210 | $45,760 | -6% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 3,330 | 1.17 | $55,190 | $30,120 | $120,470 | -23% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 3,210 | 1.00 | $58,580 | $49,380 | $72,210 | -8% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,560 | 3.06 | $214,790 | $69,030 | $394,880 | +100% |
| Pharmacists | 1,020 | 1.38 | $136,700 | $94,120 | $166,570 | -3% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 1,290 | 0.83 | $129,700 | $79,860 | $218,510 | -26% |
| Nurse Practitioners | 1,360 | 1.82 | $126,680 | $100,540 | $215,290 | -4% |
| Financial Managers | 2,320 | 1.19 | $119,360 | $64,300 | $224,620 | -28% |
| Occupational Therapists | 760 | 2.04 | $104,680 | $65,160 | $137,620 | +4% |
| Software Developers | 1,590 | 0.41 | $104,070 | $61,990 | $154,030 | -23% |
| Sales Managers | 1,060 | 0.72 | $102,300 | $50,180 | $216,940 | -31% |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | 2,630 | 1.91 | $101,280 | $62,910 | $163,340 | -18% |
| Physical Therapists | 1,040 | 1.69 | $99,940 | $73,640 | $126,480 | -3% |
| Lawyers | 1,670 | 0.96 | $97,870 | $47,280 | $184,150 | -39% |
| Managers, All Other | 2,090 | 1.46 | $90,610 | $50,210 | $170,140 | -36% |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | 760 | 1.00 | $87,270 | $70,670 | $125,600 | -18% |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | 810 | 1.93 | $86,380 | $62,880 | $134,060 | -12% |
| Construction Managers | 650 | 0.75 | $84,110 | $31,940 | $125,200 | -27% |
| Civil Engineers | 580 | 0.68 | $83,030 | $57,550 | $138,030 | -18% |
| Registered Nurses | 11,550 | 1.48 | $81,070 | $60,270 | $114,190 | -17% |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 1,490 | 1.25 | $78,560 | $29,750 | $112,920 | -26% |
| General and Operations Managers | 9,330 | 1.16 | $76,080 | $36,910 | $174,530 | -28% |
| Management Analysts | 1,820 | 0.88 | $75,750 | $46,810 | $121,030 | -26% |
These figures are for the whole Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $45,790 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.6% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 25.2% |
| Retail trade | 14.7% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 9.8% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 8.9% |
| Construction | 7.5% |
| Public administration | 7.2% |
| Manufacturing | 6.1% |
| Other services | 5.7% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 5.2% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 3.8% |
| Information | 0.6% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.5% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Benton lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County | 127,479 | $4,029 million | $31,606 | 27,501 | 2,457 | $47,454 | +1.7% | 3.2% | 69,372 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 5,009 | 21.4% | $51,554 | 1.27 |
| Retail trade | 4,729 | 20.2% | $36,781 | 1.72 |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,670 | 15.7% | $21,168 | 1.47 |
| Construction | 2,699 | 11.5% | $60,556 | 1.87 |
| Manufacturing | 1,471 | 6.3% | $61,549 | 0.65 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,183 | 5.1% | $49,787 | 0.73 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 906 | 3.9% | $42,067 | 1.09 |
| Professional and technical services | 843 | 3.6% | $72,592 | 0.44 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 708 | 3.0% | $50,947 | 0.61 |
| Finance and insurance | 664 | 2.8% | $76,670 | 0.59 |
| Wholesale trade | 562 | 2.4% | $74,233 | 0.52 |
| Real estate and rental | 312 | 1.3% | $46,459 | 0.73 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 242 | 1.0% | $20,675 | 0.52 |
| Educational services | 139 | 0.6% | $18,042 | 0.24 |
| Information | 136 | 0.6% | $63,406 | 0.26 |
| Management of companies | 71 | 0.3% | $133,985 | 0.15 |
| Utilities | 70 | 0.3% | $76,592 | 0.67 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 80.0% |
| Public transit | 0.0% |
| Walk | 1.0% |
| Work from home | 9.4% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 9.6% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,876 |
| Income per person | $38,819 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,072 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 17.7% |
| Median home value | $212,700 |
| Homeowners | 68.2% |
| Poverty rate | 8.1% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 89.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $45,790 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 3.90%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 38.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 94.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 28.3% |
| Born abroad | 3.0% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 66.2% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.4 | 40 | 86 |
| Feb | 6.3 | 43 | 117 |
| Mar | 11.5 | 53 | 131 |
| Apr | 16.6 | 62 | 142 |
| May | 21.2 | 70 | 150 |
| Jun | 26.2 | 79 | 94 |
| Jul | 28.3 | 83 | 95 |
| Aug | 28.0 | 82 | 107 |
| Sep | 24.0 | 75 | 88 |
| Oct | 17.3 | 63 | 117 |
| Nov | 10.8 | 51 | 105 |
| Dec | 5.9 | 43 | 135 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryant | AR | 5 mi | 21,504 | $83,024 | $993 |
| East End | AR | 14 mi | 6,912 | $87,936 | $1,071 |
| Little Rock | AR | 16 mi | 203,436 | $63,003 | $1,106 |
| Malvern | AR | 20 mi | 10,953 | $46,250 | $764 |
| Maumelle | AR | 21 mi | 19,373 | $103,333 | $1,047 |
| Hot Springs Village | AR | 23 mi | 16,327 | $75,370 | $1,209 |
| North Little Rock | AR | 24 mi | 64,538 | $52,707 | $1,069 |
| Hot Springs | AR | 28 mi | 37,920 | $47,760 | $914 |
| Sherwood | AR | 28 mi | 33,070 | $81,328 | $1,101 |
| Jacksonville | AR | 33 mi | 29,221 | $49,666 | $930 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
36,595 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,072 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 17.7% of the median household income.
$72,876 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.2% (BLS county, Saline County (latest month 2026M09)).
Arkansas. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.