# Benton, Missouri — #1,500 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.33 of 10. FIPS 29015. Population 20,552. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 20,600 people live in Benton, Missouri. It ranks #1,500 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #105 of 115 in Missouri. The combined sales tax is 6.23%, lower than in 61% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.47% of a home's value each year, less than in 83% of counties. Local government employs a larger share of working residents than in 88% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 65% of counties. Life expectancy is about 73.6 years, shorter than in 70% of counties. Air quality is better than in 63% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 39), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 54% of counties. On this site's state scores, Missouri gets 6.81 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.81 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.13 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.96 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 7.72 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.34 |  |
| Property tax | county | 7.65 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 3.26 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 3.60 |  |
| Government employees | county | 1.02 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 3.88 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #492 Pettis, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29159.md
- #991 Henry, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29083.md
- #323 Hickory, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29085.md
- #595 Morgan, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29141.md
- #377 Camden, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29029.md
- #646 Saint Clair, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29185.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/29015
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=29015
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy