[2] It is locally believed that residents convinced the post-Civil War Reconstruction government that Benton County was named after U.S.

Benton County is included in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The headwaters of the Wolf River meander and braid their way north and west across northern Benton County from Baker's Pond, the river's source spring (highest origin of continuous flow) in the Holly Springs National Forest approximately one mile southwest of where U.S. Highway 72 passes into Tippah County, Mississippi.

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,646 people, 3,149 households, and 2,082 families residing in the county.

From 1965 to the late 1980s, Benton County was also home to Gray's Academy, a private segregation school located in Ashland.

It also voted for third-party candidates Strom Thurmond in 1948 and George Wallace in 1968, instead of for the regular Democratic tickets.

In 2020, Trump improved his vote share in the county by 3.9%, approaching 60% even as he lost nationally.