Benson, Minnesota

Benson is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States, along the Chippewa River. The population was 3,480 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat.

Benson was platted in 1870 when the railroad was extended to that point. As the end of the tracks, Benson became a lively trading center. Benson was the market for a 100-mile area in almost all directions.

The city was named for Ben H. Benson, a Norwegian settler. Benson was incorporated as a city in 1908.

The town's early history included many tragedies, such as an 1872 smallpox epidemic, an 1876 grasshopper plague, and a fire in 1880 that wiped out a whole city block.

In 1869, the first general store in Benson was established. A post office has been in operation at Benson since 1870. The Benson Public Library was established in 1911 after a generous donation. In 1912, the Swift County Hospital was built, originally housing 19 patients. Benson's first one-room schoolhouse still stands as a historic site in Ambush Park and is open to the public. The current schools were established in 1890 (Benson High School]) and 1958 (Northside Elementary School).

According to the United States Census Bureau, Benson has an area of 3.02 square miles (7.82 km²); 3.00 square miles (7.77 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) is water.

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

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,240 people, 1,469 households, and 828 families living in the city. The population density was 1,080.0 inhabitants per square mile (417.0/km²). There were 1,602 housing units at an average density of 534.0 per square mile (206.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.2% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.