Stillwater County, Montana

Stillwater County, Montana
Stillwater County Courthouse in Columbus
Location in the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location in the U.S.
Founded	1913
Seat	Columbus
Largest town	Columbus
Area
• Total	1,805 sq mi (4,675 km2)
• Land	1,795 sq mi (4,649 km2)
• Water	9.2 sq mi (24 km2), 0.5%
Population
• (2010)	9,117
• Density	5.1/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	www.stillwater.mt.gov

Mouat chromite mine and mill, 1942

Stillwater County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,117. Its county seat is Columbus.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,805 square miles (4,670 km²), of which 1,795 square miles (4,650 km²) is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• U.S. Highway 10 (Former)
• Montana Highway 78

Adjacent counties

• Golden Valley County - north
• Yellowstone County - east
• Carbon County - south
• Park County - southwest
• Sweet Grass County - west

National protected areas

• Custer National Forest (part)
• Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge
• Halfbreed Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	7,630		—
1930	6,253		−18.0%
1940	5,694		−8.9%
1950	5,416		−4.9%
1960	5,526		2.0%
1970	4,632		−16.2%
1980	5,598		20.9%
1990	6,536		16.8%
2000	8,195		25.4%
2010	9,117		11.3%
Est. 2014	9,290		1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,195 people, 3,234 households, and 2,347 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 3,947 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.82% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 2.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.7% were of German, 11.8% Norwegian, 10.8% English, 10.6% Irish and 6.8% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 3,234 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 5.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 27.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 104.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,205, and the median income for a family was $45,238. Males had a median income of $32,148 versus $19,271 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,468. About 6.20% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,117 people, 3,796 households, and 2,657 families residing in the county. The population density was 5.1 inhabitants per square mile (2.0/km²). There were 4,803 housing units at an average density of 2.7 per square mile (1.0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.7% were German, 14.1% were Irish, 14.0% were English, 10.8% were Norwegian, and 6.9% were American.

Of the 3,796 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 45.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,227 and the median income for a family was $65,438. Males had a median income of $51,830 versus $26,909 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,168. About 6.0% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

• Columbus (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Absarokee
• Park City
• Reed Point

Unincorporated communities

• Beehive
• Dean
• Fishtail
• Nye
• Molt
• Rapelje

Ghost towns

• Limestone
• Rapids
• Springtime
• Wheat Basin

See also

• List of cemeteries in Stillwater County, Montana
• List of lakes in Stillwater County, Montana
• List of mountains in Stillwater County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Stillwater County, Montana
• Stillwater Mining Company