Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,451. Its county seat is Foley. Established in 1849 and organized in 1850, the county is one of the oldest in Minnesota. Benton County was named for Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator from Missouri.Benton County is part of the St. Cloud, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area.