Powell County, Montana

Powell County
County
Powell County Courthouse, Deer Lodge
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°51′N112°56′W / 46.85°N 112.94°W / 46.85; -112.94
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	February 2, 1901 [1]
Named for	Mount Powell, which was named in turn for John Wesley Powell
Seat	Deer Lodge
Largest city	Deer Lodge
Area
• Total	2,333 sq mi (6,040 km2)
• Land	2,326 sq mi (6,020 km2)
• Water	6.3 sq mi (16 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,946
• Estimate  (2022)	7,051
• Density	3.0/sq mi (1.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.powellcountymt.gov/ez/index.php
Montana county number 28

Powell County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,946. ^[2] Its county seat is Deer Lodge. ^[3]

Geography

Powell County countryside, near Avon, Montana.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,332.7 square miles (6,042 km²), of which 2,326.4 square miles (6,025 km²) is land and 6.3 square miles (16 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[4]

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• U.S. Route 10 (Former)
• U.S. Route 12
• Montana Highway 141
• Montana Highway 200

Adjacent counties

• Flathead County - north
• Lewis and Clark County - east
• Jefferson County - southeast
• Deer Lodge County - south
• Granite County - southwest
• Missoula County - west

National protected areas

• Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (part)
• Flathead National Forest (part)
• Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
• Helena National Forest (part)
• Lolo National Forest (part)
• Bob Marshall Wilderness Area (part)
• Scapegoat Wilderness Area (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	5,904		—
1920	6,909		17.0%
1930	6,202		−10.2%
1940	6,152		−0.8%
1950	6,301		2.4%
1960	7,002		11.1%
1970	6,660		−4.9%
1980	6,958		4.5%
1990	6,620		−4.9%
2000	7,180		8.5%
2010	7,027		−2.1%
2020	6,946		−1.2%
2022 (est.)	7,051	[5]	1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960, [7] 1900–1990, [8] 1990–2000, [9] 2010–2020 [2]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,946 people living in the county.^{[ citation needed ]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,027 people, 2,466 households, and 1,582 families in the county. The population density was 3.0 inhabitants per square mile (1.2/km²). There were 3,105 housing units at an average density of 1.3 units per square mile (0.50 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% white, 4.4% American Indian, 1.0% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.9% were German, 19.1% were Irish, 14.6% were English, 8.5% were Norwegian, and 4.7% were American.

Of the 2,466 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.8% were non-families, and 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 45.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,851 and the median income for a family was $45,339. Males had a median income of $30,163 versus $24,837 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,849. About 12.3% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The current Montana State Prison facility is located in an unincorporated area in the county, near Deer Lodge. ^[10]

Powell County voters have supported Republican Party candidates in every national election since 1964.

United States presidential election results for Powell County, Montana ^{[11] [12]}

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	2,355	74.08%	752	23.66%	72	2.26%
2016	2,029	72.62%	551	19.72%	214	7.66%
2012	1,806	65.03%	888	31.98%	83	2.99%
2008	1,683	59.81%	1,021	36.28%	110	3.91%
2004	1,993	70.42%	761	26.89%	76	2.69%
2000	1,971	69.60%	638	22.53%	223	7.87%
1996	1,274	45.47%	952	33.98%	576	20.56%
1992	1,058	36.01%	989	33.66%	891	30.33%
1988	1,574	56.31%	1,174	42.00%	47	1.68%
1984	1,877	62.32%	1,066	35.39%	69	2.29%
1980	1,770	59.14%	883	29.50%	340	11.36%
1976	1,610	54.56%	1,302	44.12%	39	1.32%
1972	1,720	59.68%	1,050	36.43%	112	3.89%
1968	1,301	47.50%	1,206	44.03%	232	8.47%
1964	1,140	37.50%	1,896	62.37%	4	0.13%
1960	1,497	49.49%	1,522	50.31%	6	0.20%
1956	1,683	58.09%	1,214	41.91%	0	0.00%
1952	1,783	57.85%	1,281	41.56%	18	0.58%
1948	1,163	43.49%	1,427	53.37%	84	3.14%
1944	1,100	41.59%	1,527	57.73%	18	0.68%
1940	1,116	38.46%	1,765	60.82%	21	0.72%
1936	799	27.42%	2,060	70.69%	55	1.89%
1932	1,031	34.42%	1,869	62.40%	95	3.17%
1928	1,568	59.80%	1,031	39.32%	23	0.88%
1924	982	40.39%	559	22.99%	890	36.61%
1920	1,345	57.19%	787	33.46%	220	9.35%
1916	939	39.75%	1,340	56.73%	83	3.51%
1912	335	23.18%	545	37.72%	565	39.10%
1908	599	49.63%	560	46.40%	48	3.98%
1904	721	60.54%	422	35.43%	48	4.03%

Communities

City

• Deer Lodge (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Avon
• Elliston
• Garrison
• Goldcreek
• Helmville
• Ovando
• Racetrack

Other unincorporated communities

• Carpenter's Bar
• Danielsville ^[13]
• Jens ^[14]
• Pioneer ^[15]
• Wall City ^[16]

See also

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

References

1. Powell County History
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
10. Montana State Prison Archived November 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . Montana Department of Corrections. Retrieved on December 2, 2010. "Address: 400 Conley Lake Road; Deer Lodge, MT; 59722"
11. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
12. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 418 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 147 votes.
13. Danielsville MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
14. Jens MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
15. Pioneer MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
16. Wall City MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)

46°51′N112°56′W / 46.85°N 112.94°W / 46.85; -112.94

External links

• Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
• Montana State Prison
• Clark Fork Watershed Education Program
• Old Montana Prison Museums
• Powell County Chamber of Commerce
• Powell County Website