Benton CountyPower Outage History
What this grade means
Top 20% most reliable nationally — infrequent, short outages. This county ranks in the most reliable fifth of all US counties in our dataset, based on 12 years of real DOE outage records: outages happen less often here, and when they do occur they tend to be resolved quickly compared to the rest of the country. Baseline outage risk is low, though a severe local storm can still occasionally cause a longer-than-usual outage regardless of the long-term track record.
Outages by year
Outages by month (seasonality)
Worst outage events on record
| Date | Duration | Customers affected | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2019 | 3 hrs | 7,170 (35%) | Unnamed event |
| Jan 12, 2024 | 7 hrs | 5,542 (27%) | Unnamed event |
| Jun 14, 2023 | 1 hrs | 5,337 (26%) | Unnamed event |
| Jun 24, 2022 | 4 hrs | 4,677 (23%) | Excessive Heat |
| Mar 22, 2020 | 2 hrs | 3,590 (18%) | Unnamed event |
Was There an Outage on a Specific Date?
Pick a date to see whether a power outage was recorded for Benton County, Minnesota that day.
Over the 11 years from 2015 to 2025, Benton County recorded 242 distinct power outage events, averaging 2.5 hours per event.
The single worst outage on record in Benton County started September 17, 2019, lasting 3 hours and leaving up to 7,170 customers without power (35% of the county) at its peak.
July has historically been the worst month for outages in Benton County, with 46 events recorded during that month across the dataset.
Based on this history, Benton County earns a Reliability Grade of A, placing it in the 81st percentile nationally for grid reliability (higher percentile = more reliable).
Similar counties in Minnesota
Counties with the closest reliability grade and national percentile to Benton County.
| County | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Lac qui Parle County | A | 80th |
| Chippewa County | A | 81st |
| Grant County | A | 82nd |
| Wilkin County | B | 79th |
| Lincoln County | A | 83rd |
Most reliable counties nationally
The top 3 counties nationally by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | State | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | South Dakota | A | 100th |
| Clearwater County | Minnesota | A | 99th |
| Limestone County | Alabama | A | 99th |
Least reliable counties nationally
The bottom 3 counties nationally by reliability grade and percentile.
| County | State | Grade | National percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | West Virginia | F | 0th |
| Lincoln County | West Virginia | F | 0th |
| Cameron Parish | Louisiana | F | 0th |
FAQ
How often does power go out in Benton County?
Between 2015 and 2025, Benton County recorded 242 outage events, averaging 2.5 hours each.
What is Benton County's reliability grade?
Benton County has a Reliability Grade of A, in the 81st national percentile.
What was the worst power outage in Benton County?
The worst outage on record started September 17, 2019, lasting 3 hours and affecting up to 7,170 customers.