About Benken (SG)
Benken is a municipality in the Wahlkreis (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
- Canton
- St. Gallen
- Area
- 16.5 km²
Population
3'073residents
Median taxable income
CHF 65'970
Vacancy
0.51%
Foreign residents
14.5%
Dwellings
1'373
Jobs (FTE)
1'145
Tax multiplier
117%
Land use across the commune
Every 100 × 100 m of Benken (SG), coloured by how it's used. Drawn from the BFS Arealstatistik 2025 release — the most recent nationwide snapshot.
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Loading statistics …
Jobs & economy
1'145 full-time-equivalent jobs across 240 businesses — services make up 33% of employment, industry 49% (2018).
Source BFS STATENT
1'145FTE total
Primary18.6%
Secondary48.6%
Tertiary32.8%
Land use
11% built-up, 71% agricultural, 11% forest. Measured across 1'648 hectares (2018).
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Settlement12.1%
Agriculture75.7%
Forest12.2%
Water0.0%
Election Results
SVP led the 2023 National Council election with 47.0%, ahead of Mitte at 21.2%.
Source BFS
SVP47.0%+2.8 pp
Mitte21.2%
FDP12.4%+2.1 pp
SP6.1%+1.5 pp
Grüne5.1%−2.3 pp
GLP4.3%−1.2 pp
EDU1.1%−0.8 pp
Others
0.7%
2023 vs 2019
Primary / second-home mix
89.2% of dwellings are primary residences; 10.8% are second homes (2026).
Source BFS
Primary residences89.2%
Second homes10.8%
Climate data
Annual mean 8.1°C with 1'818 mm of rain. Warmest in July (17.4°C), coldest in January (-1.1°C). Station: Ebnat-Kappel, 623 m.
Source MeteoSchweiz
8.1°C
Annual mean
Mean 8.1°C
Rain 1818 mm
Ebnat-Kappel · 623 m.a.s.l. · 1991–2020 normals
Warming trend
Mean annual temperature at Elm has risen by +2.4°C between the first 30 observed years (1879–1908) and the most recent (1996–2025).
Source MeteoSchweiz NBCN
+2.4°C
mean 1996–2025 vs. 1879–1908
Elm · 958 m.a.s.l. · 1879–2025
