List of counties in Montana

Counties of Montana
LN FH LK SA MN MS RV GR PW DL BV SB MD JE GA BW LC TE PN GL TO LB HL CH CS JB MG PK SW SG WL GV FE BL PH PE MU YL CA BH TR RB GF VY DN SH RO MC RL DW PA CU PR CT FA WX
Location	State of Montana
Number	56
Populations	554 (Petroleum) – 170,843 (Yellowstone)
Areas	718 square miles (1,860 km2) (Silver Bow) – 5,543 square miles (14,360 km2) (Beaverhead)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	cities, towns, unincorporated communities, Indian reservations, census designated place

This is a list of the counties in the U.S. state of Montana . There are 56 counties in the state.

Montana has two consolidated city-counties— Anaconda with Deer Lodge County and Butte with Silver Bow County. The portion of Yellowstone National Park that lies within Montana was not part of any county until 1978, when part of it was nominally added to Gallatin County, and the rest of it to Park County.

Montana's postal abbreviation is MT and its FIPS state code is 30.

Counties

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided for each county. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

County	FIPS code [1]	County seat [2]	Est. [2]	Origin	Etymology	License plate prefix [3] [4]	Population [5]	Area	Map
BeaverheadCounty	001	Dillon	February 2, 1865	Original County	Beaverhead Rock in the Jefferson River, which is shaped like a beaver's head. [6]	18	9,885	5,543 sq mi (14,356 km2)
Big HornCounty	003	Hardin	January 13, 1913	Rosebud County, Yellowstone County	Bighorn sheep in the area. [7] [8]	22	12,751	4,995 sq mi (12,937 km2)
BlaineCounty	005	Chinook	February 29, 1912	Chouteau County	James G. Blaine (1830–1893), United States Secretary of State and presidential candidate. [9]	24	6,899	4,226 sq mi (10,945 km2)
BroadwaterCounty	007	Townsend	February 9, 1897	Jefferson County, Meagher County	Charles A. Broadwater (1840–1892), a pioneer in the area and colonel in the United States Army. [10]	43	8,032	1,192 sq mi (3,087 km2)
CarbonCounty	009	Red Lodge	March 4, 1895	Park County, Yellowstone County	Coal deposits in the area. [8]	10	11,419	2,048 sq mi (5,304 km2)
CarterCounty	011	Ekalaka	February 22, 1917	Fallon County	Thomas Henry Carter (1854–1911), a U.S. Senator from Montana. [11]	42	1,418	3,340 sq mi (8,651 km2)
CascadeCounty	013	Great Falls	September 12, 1887	Chouteau County, Meagher County	Great Falls of the Missouri River.	2	84,900	2,698 sq mi (6,988 km2)
ChouteauCounty	015	Fort Benton	February 2, 1865	Original County	Jean Pierre Chouteau (1758–1849) and his son Pierre Chouteau, Jr. (1789–1865). They were part of the Chouteau fur-trading family.	19	5,847	3,973 sq mi (10,290 km2)
CusterCounty	017	Miles City	February 2, 1865	Original County	Originally Big Horn County, [12] renamed February 16, 1877 for George Armstrong Custer	14	11,985	3,783 sq mi (9,798 km2)
DanielsCounty	019	Scobey	August 30, 1920	Sheridan County, Valley County	Mansfield A. Daniels (1858 - 1919), an early rancher and storekeeper	37	1,633	1,426 sq mi (3,693 km2)
DawsonCounty	021	Glendive	January 15, 1869	Unorganized lands	Andrew Dawson, a trapping official and major in the United States Army	16	8,810	2,373 sq mi (6,146 km2)
Deer LodgeCounty	023	Anaconda	February 2, 1865	Original County	Deer Lodge Valley, which in turn was either named for the Native American name "Lodge of the White-tailed Deer" or a salt lick where deer came in droves	30	9,673	737 sq mi (1,909 km2)
FallonCounty	025	Baker	December 9, 1913	Custer County	Benjamin O'Fallon, a Federal Native American agent	39	2,994	1,620 sq mi (4,196 km2)
FergusCounty	027	Lewistown	March 12, 1885	Chouteau County, Meagher County	Andrew Fergus (1850 - 1928), one of the first settlers in the county	8	11,772	4,339 sq mi (11,238 km2)
FlatheadCounty	029	Kalispell	February 6, 1893	Missoula County	Flathead Native Americans	7	113,679	5,099 sq mi (13,206 km2)
GallatinCounty	031	Bozeman	February 2, 1865	Original County	Albert Gallatin (1761–1849), the United States Secretary of the Treasury at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition	6	126,409	2,507 sq mi (6,493 km2)
GarfieldCounty	033	Jordan	February 7, 1919	Dawson County	James A. Garfield (1831–1881), the twentieth President of the United States	50	1,211	4,668 sq mi (12,090 km2)
GlacierCounty	035	Cut Bank	February 17, 1919	Teton County	Glacier National Park, which borders the county	38	13,609	2,995 sq mi (7,757 km2)
Golden ValleyCounty	037	Ryegate	October 4, 1920	Musselshell County, Sweet Grass County	Probably named in a promotional attempt to lure settlers to the area	53	835	1,175 sq mi (3,043 km2)
GraniteCounty	039	Philipsburg	March 2, 1893	Deer Lodge County, Missoula County	Named for the granite rock which is common in the area's mountains and also held the area's rich gold and silver ore; the old mining town of Granite shared the name. [13]	46	3,595	1,728 sq mi (4,475 km2)
HillCounty	041	Havre	February 22, 1912	Chouteau County	James J. Hill (1838–1916), a leading railroad tycoon	12	16,276	2,896 sq mi (7,501 km2)
JeffersonCounty	043	Boulder	February 2, 1865	Original County	Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the third President of the United States	51	13,048	1,657 sq mi (4,292 km2)
Judith BasinCounty	045	Stanford	December 10, 1920	Cascade County, Fergus County	The Judith River which was in turn named by William Clark for Julia "Judith" Hancock, whom he would later marry	36	2,093	1,870 sq mi (4,843 km2)
LakeCounty	047	Polson	May 11, 1923	Flathead County, Missoula County	Flathead Lake	15	33,338	1,494 sq mi (3,869 km2)
Lewis and ClarkCounty	049	Helena	February 2, 1865	Original County	Originally Edgerton County), renamed March 1, 1868 for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark	5	75,011	3,461 sq mi (8,964 km2)
LibertyCounty	051	Chester	February 11, 1920	Chouteau County, Hill County	The sentiment of the inhabitants when the county was formed soon after World War I	48	1,974	1,430 sq mi (3,704 km2)
LincolnCounty	053	Libby	March 9, 1909	Flathead County	Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th President of the United States	56	21,895	3,613 sq mi (9,358 km2)
MadisonCounty	057	Virginia City	February 2, 1865	Original County	James Madison (1751–1836), the fourth President of the United States and the Secretary of State at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition	25	9,521	3,587 sq mi (9,290 km2)
McConeCounty	055	Circle	February 20, 1919	Dawson County, Richland County	George McCone (1853 - 1929), a Montana state senator who helped create the county	41	1,676	2,643 sq mi (6,845 km2)
MeagherCounty	059	White Sulphur Springs	November 16, 1867	Chouteau County, Gallatin County	Thomas Francis Meagher (1823–1867), an acting Governor of the Montana Territory	47	2,071	2,392 sq mi (6,195 km2)
MineralCounty	061	Superior	August 7, 1914	Missoula County	Many mines and mining prospects within the county	54	5,090	1,220 sq mi (3,160 km2)
MissoulaCounty	063	Missoula	February 2, 1865	Original County	Supposedly a contraction of the Flathead word, "im-i-sul-e-etiku", meaning "by or near the place of fear or ambush", a reference to Hell Gate Canyon, in which Flathead Native Americans were sometimes attacked by Blackfeet	4	121,849	2,598 sq mi (6,729 km2)
MusselshellCounty	065	Roundup	February 11, 1911	Fergus County, Meagher County, Yellowstone County	The Musselshell River, named in turn by the Lewis and Clark Expedition presumably due to mussels found on its banks	23	5,308	1,867 sq mi (4,836 km2)
ParkCounty	067	Livingston	February 23, 1887	Gallatin County	Nearby Yellowstone National Park	49	17,903	2,656 sq mi (6,879 km2)
PetroleumCounty	069	Winnett	November 24, 1924	Fergus County	The production of petroleum at Cat Creek	55	554	1,654 sq mi (4,284 km2)
PhillipsCounty	071	Malta	February 5, 1915	Blaine County, Valley County	Benjamin D. Phillips (1857 - 1926), a leading rancher and early pioneer in the county	11	4,249	5,140 sq mi (13,313 km2)
PonderaCounty	073	Conrad	February 17, 1919	Chouteau County, Teton County	Originally pend d'oreille, French words meaning "ear pendant"; the name was changed to a form resembling the phonetic spelling to avoid confusion with the lake and town of the same name in Idaho and of a county in Washington.	26	6,125	1,625 sq mi (4,209 km2)
Powder RiverCounty	075	Broadus	March 7, 1919	Custer County	The Powder River, named in turn for the gunpowder-like sand on its shores	9	1,743	3,297 sq mi (8,539 km2)
PowellCounty	077	Deer Lodge	January 31, 1901	Deer Lodge County	Mount Powell, which in turn was named for John Wesley Powell (1834–1902), the early environmentalist and explorer	28	7,133	2,326 sq mi (6,024 km2)
PrairieCounty	079	Terry	February 5, 1915	Dawson County, Fallon County	The county's location on the Great Plains	45	1,112	1,737 sq mi (4,499 km2)
RavalliCounty	081	Hamilton	February 16, 1893	Missoula County	Anthony Ravalli (1812–1884), a Jesuit missionary who came to the area in 1845	13	47,738	2,394 sq mi (6,200 km2)
RichlandCounty	083	Sidney	May 27, 1914	Dawson County	Named so as to depict fertile soil, in an attempt to lure in settlers	27	11,173	2,084 sq mi (5,398 km2)
RooseveltCounty	085	Wolf Point	February 18, 1919	Sheridan County	Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), the 26th President of the United States	17	10,319	2,356 sq mi (6,102 km2)
RosebudCounty	087	Forsyth	February 11, 1901	Custer County	The Rosebud River, which was named for the many wild roses along its banks	29	8,160	5,012 sq mi (12,981 km2)
SandersCounty	089	Thompson Falls	February 7, 1905	Missoula County	Wilbur Fiske Sanders (1834–1905), a pioneer, vigilante, and U.S. Senator from Montana	35	13,684	2,762 sq mi (7,154 km2)
SheridanCounty	091	Plentywood	March 24, 1913	Valley County	Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), Civil War general	34	3,498	1,677 sq mi (4,343 km2)
Silver BowCounty	093	Butte	February 16, 1881	Deer Lodge County	Silver Bow Creek; there are multiple theories explaining how the creek was named	1	36,360	718 sq mi (1,860 km2)
StillwaterCounty	095	Columbus	March 24, 1913	Carbon County, Sweet Grass County, Yellowstone County	Stillwater River, ironically named for its very fast current	32	9,173	1,795 sq mi (4,649 km2)
Sweet GrassCounty	097	Big Timber	March 5, 1895	Meagher County, Park County, Yellowstone County	The abundant sweet grass in the county	40	3,763	1,855 sq mi (4,804 km2)
TetonCounty	099	Choteau	February 7, 1893	Chouteau County	The Teton Range which is in turn named for the French word for 'nipple', teton	31	6,430	2,273 sq mi (5,887 km2)
TooleCounty	101	Shelby	May 7, 1914	Hill County, Teton County	Joseph Toole (1851–1929), the first and fourth Governor of Montana	21	5,133	1,911 sq mi (4,949 km2)
TreasureCounty	103	Hysham	February 7, 1919	Rosebud County	Named promotionally to attract new settlers	33	772	979 sq mi (2,536 km2)
ValleyCounty	105	Glasgow	February 6, 1893	Dawson County	Much of the county lies within the valley of the Milk River	20	7,474	4,921 sq mi (12,745 km2)
WheatlandCounty	107	Harlowton	February 22, 1917	Meagher County, Sweet Grass County	The many wheat fields in the county	44	2,057	1,423 sq mi (3,686 km2)
WibauxCounty	109	Wibaux	August 17, 1914	Dawson County, Fallon County, Richland County	Pierre Wibaux (1858–1913), a pioneer and cattleman	52	910	889 sq mi (2,302 km2)
YellowstoneCounty	111	Billings	February 26, 1883	Custer County	The Yellowstone River, named in turn for the yellow rocks found along its shores	3	170,843	2,635 sq mi (6,825 km2)

Previous counties

• St. Charles County, Missouri Territory created October 1, 1812, moved 1813
• Vancouver County, Oregon Territory created August 13, 1848, renamed Clarke County, Oregon Territory September 3, 1849
• Clarke County, Washington Territory created March 2, 1853
• Walla Walla County, Washington Territory April 25, 1854
• Spokane County, Washington Territory created January 29, 1858, abolished January 19, 1864
• Missoula County, Washington Territory created December 14, 1860, abolished May 26, 1864
• Shoshone County, Washington Territory created January 9, 1861, abolished March 3, 1863
• Stevens County, Washington Territory created January 20, 1863
• Shoshone County, Idaho Territory created February 4, 1864

Extinct counties

• Edgerton County, Montana Territory created February 2, 1865, renamed Lewis and Clark County, Montana Territory March 1, 1868.
• Big Horn County, Montana Territory ^[12] created February 2, 1865, renamed Custer County, Montana Territory February 16, 1877.

County equivalents

• Yellowstone National Park (Montana Territory) created March 1, 1872, divided between Park County, Montana and Gallatin County, Montana in 1978.

See also

• History of Montana
  • Bibliography of Montana history
  • Territorial evolution of Montana
  • Timeline of Montana history
• List of cities and towns in Montana
• List of ghost towns in Montana
• List of places in Montana

References

1. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
2. National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find a county". Archived from the original on April 21, 2005. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
3. "Montana county seats & corresponding license plate numbers". Montana Association of Counties. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
4. "What's the deal with Montana's license plate numbering system?". Billings Gazette. May 2, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
5. "2023 U.S. Census QuickFacts: Montana". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
6. Muntmyler, L. E. (April 1914). "An Enjoyable Water Trip?". Hunter-Trader-Trapper. Columbus, Ohio: A. R. Harding: 52.
7. Greene, Jerome (2008). Stricken Field: The Little Bighorn Since 1876 (Hardcover). Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 263. ISBN   978-0-8061-3791-9.
8. Hill, Thomas (1915). The Open Door To Independence. Chicago, Illinois: Hill Standard Book Company. p.  225.
9. Fay, Robert; Branson, Carl (1959). "Oklahoma Geological Survey" (PDF). Ogs.edu.
10. "Guidebook … Annual Field Conference" (13). 1962: 143. Townsend, Montana lies in the central part of Townsend Valley at an elevation of 3833 and is the county seat of Broadwater County. The town was named for an official of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The county was named for Colonel Charles A. Broadwater, an early pioneer.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
11. "Carter County Montana". www.cartercountymt.info. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
12. Big Horn County, Montana Territory was not the same county as present day Big Horn County, Montana.
13. "Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman". Montana Place Names Companion Website. Montana Historical Society and Montana State Library. Retrieved October 31, 2015.