Richland County, Montana

Richland County, Montana
The Richland County Courthouse in Sidney
Location in the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location in the U.S.
Founded	May 27, 1914
Seat	Sidney
Largest city	Sidney
Area
• Total	2,103 sq mi (5,447 km2)
• Land	2,084 sq mi (5,398 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (49 km2), 0.9%
Population (est.)
• (2014)	11,576
• Density	4.7/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	www.richland.org

Richland County is a county located in the State of Montana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,746. Its county seat is Sidney.

Richland County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1914 from part of Dawson County. An early proposed name for the county was Gate, but Richland was decided upon instead as a way to entice new settlers.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,103 square miles (5,450 km²), of which 2,084 square miles (5,400 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Major highways

• Montana Highway 16
• Montana Highway 23
• Montana Highway 200

Adjacent counties

• Roosevelt County, Montana - north
• McCone County, Montana - west
• Dawson County, Montana - south
• Wibaux County, Montana - south
• McKenzie County, North Dakota - east

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	8,989		—
1930	9,633		7.2%
1940	10,209		6.0%
1950	10,366		1.5%
1960	10,504		1.3%
1970	9,837		−6.3%
1980	12,243		24.5%
1990	10,716		−12.5%
2000	9,667		−9.8%
2010	9,746		0.8%
Est. 2014	11,576		18.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,667 people, 3,878 households, and 2,652 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 4,557 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.57% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 1.46% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 2.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.3% were of German, 22.4% Norwegian, 7.2% Irish, 6.2% English and 5.4% American ancestry.

There were 3,878 households out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.50% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,110, and the median income for a family was $39,348. Males had a median income of $29,069 versus $19,203 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,006. About 8.10% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,746 people, 4,167 households, and 2,698 families residing in the county. The population density was 4.7 inhabitants per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 4,550 housing units at an average density of 2.2 per square mile (0.85/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.0% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 37.8% were German, 23.1% were Norwegian, 13.0% were Irish, 8.7% were American, and 6.5% were English.

Of the 4,167 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.3% were non-families, and 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $52,516 and the median income for a family was $60,236. Males had a median income of $44,788 versus $23,135 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,888. About 10.2% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Although most of the surface land of the county is devoted to ranching, oil exploration and production became important elements of the county's economy beginning with the discovery in 2000 of Elm Coulee Oil Field, part of the Bakken formation.

Citizen Identified Communities

Incorporated Communities

• Sidney (county seat)
• Fairview

Unincorporated community

• Savage
• Enid
• Lambert

Federally-Identified Locales

Census-designated places

• Fox Lake
• Knife River
• Crane

See also

• List of cemeteries in Richland County, Montana
• List of lakes in Richland County, Montana
• List of mountains in Richland County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Richland County, Montana