Benton County, Tennessee

Benton County, Tennessee
Benton County Courthouse in Camden
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1836
Named for	David Benton (early settler)
Seat	Camden
Largest city	Camden
Area
• Total	436 sq mi (1,129 km2)
• Land	394 sq mi (1,020 km2)
• Water	41 sq mi (106 km2), 9.6%
Population
• (2010)	16,489
• Density	42/sq mi (16/km²)
Congressional districts	7th, 8th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.bentoncountytn.gov

Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,489. Its county seat 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 and 30 miles south of the Kentucky 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 industries, and in the past, was recognized for sorghum production, although it is no longer produced there.

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.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,130 km²), of which 394 square miles (1,020 km²) is land and 42 square miles (110 km²) (9.6%) is water.

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,537 people, 6,863 households, and 4,886 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 8,595 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.44% White, 2.10% Black or African American, 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 or Latino of any race.