Parcel Chartplaces Open the free map

County · code 27009

Benton CountyMinnesota

Benton County is a county in Minnesota with its seat in Foley, formed in 1849.

  • Founded1849
  • County seatFoley
  • Named forThomas Hart Benton
  • Land area408 sq mi + 4.7 sq mi water
  • Population41,379 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped20,357 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Benton County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

SherburneMorrisonMille LacsStearns Foley Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Benton on the map of Minnesota

Minnesota has 87 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Aitkin CountyAnoka CountyBecker CountyBeltrami CountyBig Stone CountyBlue Earth CountyBrown CountyCarlton CountyCarver CountyCass CountyChippewa CountyChisago CountyClay CountyClearwater CountyCook CountyCottonwood CountyCrow Wing CountyDakota CountyDodge CountyDouglas CountyFaribault CountyFillmore CountyFreeborn CountyGoodhue CountyGrant CountyHennepin CountyHouston CountyHubbard CountyIsanti CountyItasca CountyJackson CountyKanabec CountyKandiyohi CountyKittson CountyKoochiching CountyLac qui Parle CountyLake CountyLake of the Woods CountyLe Sueur CountyLincoln CountyLyon CountyMcLeod CountyMahnomen CountyMarshall CountyMartin CountyMeeker CountyMille Lacs CountyMorrison CountyMower CountyMurray CountyNicollet CountyNobles CountyNorman CountyOlmsted CountyOtter Tail CountyPennington CountyPine CountyPipestone CountyPolk CountyPope CountyRamsey CountyRed Lake CountyRedwood CountyRenville CountyRice CountyRock CountyRoseau CountySt. Louis CountyScott CountySherburne CountySibley CountyStearns CountySteele CountyStevens CountySwift CountyTodd CountyTraverse CountyWabasha CountyWadena CountyWaseca CountyWashington CountyWatonwan CountyWilkin CountyWinona CountyWright CountyYellow Medicine CountyBenton County Benton
Counties of Minnesota · Benton highlighted

History

Formed in 1849 from Pembina County and Kittson County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Benton County was created on October 27, 1849, from non-county area in Minnesota Territory, with Pembina and Kittson attached for judicial purposes. The county was named after Thomas Hart Benton. Through its early years, Benton County exchanged land with Ramsey County, gained and lost territory to neighboring counties, and served as a judicial attachment point for several newly organized counties including Morrison, Sherburne, Itasca, and others.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1849
    Benton County created Benton created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory (remnant of Wisconsin Territory), fully organized; Pembina (now Kittson) attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    from Pembinafrom Kittson
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, sec. 3/p. 7
  2. 1851
    Exchanged territory Benton exchanged with Ramsey; Cass attached to Benton "for judicial purposes;" Itasca detached from Washington, attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    with Ramseywith Casswith Itascawith Washington
    · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 3, 5, 6, 12, 13, 18/pp. 30-32
  3. 1855
    Gained territory Benton gained from Ramsey.
    from Ramsey
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 22/p. 27
  4. 1856
    Lost territory Benton lost to Ramsey, lost to the creation of both Morrison and Sherburne; Morrison and Sherburne attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    to Ramseyto Morrisonto Sherburne
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 38, secs. 1-6/pp. 66-67
  5. 1860
    Lost territory Benton lost to Mille Lacs.
    to Mille Lacs
    · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 59, secs. 1-2/p. 97
Show all 16 changes (11 more)
  1. 1849
    Benton County created Benton created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory (remnant of Wisconsin Territory), fully organized; Pembina (now Kittson) attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    from Pembinafrom Kittson
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, sec. 3/p. 7
  2. 1851
    Exchanged territory Benton exchanged with Ramsey; Cass attached to Benton "for judicial purposes;" Itasca detached from Washington, attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    with Ramseywith Casswith Itascawith Washington
    · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 3, 5, 6, 12, 13, 18/pp. 30-32
  3. 1852
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) fully organized, detached from Benton.
    PembinaKittson
    · Min. Terr. Laws 1852, ch. 20, sec. 1/pp. 34-35
  4. 1853
    Changed Itasca detached from Benton, attached to Chisago "for judicial and other purposes"; Pembina (now Kittson) reattached to Benton "for judicial and other purposes."
    ItascaChisagoPembinaKittson
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1853, ch. 3, sec. 5/pp. 8-9
  5. 1854
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) detached from Benton, attached to Nicollet "for judicial and other purposes."
    PembinaKittsonNicollet
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1854, ch. 53, secs. 2, 5/pp. 175-176
  6. 1855
    Gained territory Benton gained from Ramsey.
    from Ramsey
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 22/p. 27
  7. 1855
    Changed Cass detached from Benton, attached to Stearns "for judicial purposes."
    CassStearns
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 4, secs. 1, 6/pp. 18-19
  8. 1856
    Lost territory Benton lost to Ramsey, lost to the creation of both Morrison and Sherburne; Morrison and Sherburne attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    to Ramseyto Morrisonto Sherburne
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 38, secs. 1-6/pp. 66-67
  9. 1856
    Changed Itasca detached from Chisago, attached to Benton "for judicial purposes"; Lake and St. Louis attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    ItascaChisagoLakeSt. Louis
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 35, secs. 1-4/p. 63
  10. 1856
    Changed Morrison fully organized, detached from Benton; Sherburne attachment to Benton "for judicial purposes" confirmed.
    MorrisonSherburne
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 38, sec. 5-6/pp. 66-67
  11. 1858
    Changed Itasca detached from Benton, attached to Crow Wing "for judicial purposes."
    ItascaCrow Wing
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 39, sec. 1/p. 151
  12. 1858
    Changed Monroe (proposed) authorized to be created from Benton, Isanti, and Mille Lacs, dependent upon local referendum that failed; county never created.
    MonroeIsantiMille Lacs
    · HRS Minn., Mille Lacs, 9-10; Minn. Laws 1857-188, spec., ch. 33, secs. 1-3/pp. 143-144
  13. 1858
    Changed St. Louis fully organized, detached from Benton.
    St. Louis
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, gen., ch. 67, sec. 2/p. 157
  14. 1860
    Changed Lake detached from Benton, attached to St. Louis "for judicial purposes."
    LakeSt. Louis
    · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 65, sec. 1/p. 107
  15. 1860
    Lost territory Benton lost to Mille Lacs.
    to Mille Lacs
    · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 59, secs. 1-2/p. 97
  16. 1862
    Changed Sherburne fully organized, detached from Benton.
    Sherburne
    · Minn. Laws 1862, gen., ch. 49, sec. 1/pp. 106-107

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Benton

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Benton by the Census

Population
41,379 2020 Census count
Housing units
17,315 2020 Census count
Land area
408 square miles
Water area
4.7 square miles
People per sq mi
101 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Benton County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Benton County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Benton County

When was Benton County founded?
Benton County was founded in 1849, formed from Pembina County and Kittson County, and named after Thomas Hart Benton.
What is the county seat of Benton County?
The county seat of Benton County is Foley.
Is there an online parcel map for Benton County?
Yes. Benton County publishes a parcel map of 20,357 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Benton County's boundary or name changed?
Benton County was created in 1849 from Pembina County and Kittson County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Itasca County, Kittson County and Pembina County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Benton County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door