Benson is a very small city located in the state of Minnesota. With a population of 3,442 people and just one neighborhood, Benson is the 212th largest community in Minnesota.
Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Benson is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Benson is a city of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Benson who work in management occupations (12.56%), office and administrative support (11.88%), and healthcare (7.88%).
The overall crime rate in Benson is one of the lowest in the US. This makes it one of the safer places to live in the country in terms of crime.
The overall education level of Benson citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 29.59% of adults in Benson have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 21.84%.
The per capita income in Benson in 2022 was $32,971, which is lower middle income relative to Minnesota, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $131,884 for a family of four. However, Benson contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Benson home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Benson residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Benson include German, Norwegian, Irish, Swedish, and English.
The most common language spoken in Benson is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.
Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in Benson, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
One of the really interesting characteristics about the neighborhood is that, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research, it is an excellent choice in which to reside for college students. Due to its popularity among college students who already choose to live here, its walkability, and its above average safety from crime, the neighborhood is ideal for prospective or already-enrolled college students. Between semesters and during school breaks, you'll notice that the excitement here fluctuates with the college seasons. Despite the excitement however, parents of college-age children can rest easy knowing that this neighborhood has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 2.0% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Minnesota. In addition to being an excellent choice for college students, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for active retirees.
Regardless of the means by which residents commute, this neighborhood has a length of commute that is notable. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 61.9% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Norwegian and Swedish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 28.7% of this neighborhood's residents have Norwegian ancestry and 9.6% have Swedish ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 9.6% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Polish at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 98.0% of the neighborhoods in America.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Benson are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 79.0% of U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, 4.9% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 64.9% of America's neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 40.4% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 21.1% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (19.5%), and 18.1% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 98.7% of households. Some people also speak Polish (9.6%).
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in Benson, MN, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (34.4%). There are also a number of people of Norwegian ancestry (28.7%), and residents who report Irish roots (9.8%), and some of the residents are also of Swedish ancestry (9.6%), along with some English ancestry residents (8.8%), among others.
Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (61.9% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (83.1%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (7.2%) and 7.0% of residents also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.