Rosebud County, Montana

Rosebud County
County
County courthouse in Forsyth
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°14′N106°43′W / 46.23°N 106.72°W / 46.23; -106.72
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	February 11, 1901
Named after	Rosebud River
Seat	Forsyth
Largest city	Colstrip
Area
• Total	5,027 sq mi (13,020 km2)
• Land	5,010 sq mi (13,000 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,329
• Estimate  (2024)	8,194
• Density	1.7/sq mi (0.64/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	rosebudcountymt.gov
Montana county number 29

Rosebud County is a county in the state of Montana. It was established February 11, 1901, and has Montana vehicle license plate prefix 29. ^[1] As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,329. ^[2] Its county seat is Forsyth. ^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,027 square miles (13,020 km²), of which 5,010 square miles (13,000 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[4] It is the fourth-largest county in Montana by land area and fifth-largest by total area. Part of Custer National Forest is located in the county.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, most of Rosebud County has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Climate data for Brandenberg, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1956–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	70 (21)	72 (22)	86 (30)	91 (33)	101 (38)	111 (44)	112 (44)	111 (44)	105 (41)	98 (37)	81 (27)	70 (21)	112 (44)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	56.4 (13.6)	58.6 (14.8)	72.7 (22.6)	82.1 (27.8)	87.9 (31.1)	96.4 (35.8)	103.0 (39.4)	102.1 (38.9)	97.5 (36.4)	84.3 (29.1)	68.9 (20.5)	56.4 (13.6)	104.7 (40.4)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	35.2 (1.8)	38.8 (3.8)	50.2 (10.1)	60.0 (15.6)	69.5 (20.8)	79.3 (26.3)	89.8 (32.1)	89.1 (31.7)	77.2 (25.1)	61.0 (16.1)	46.5 (8.1)	36.0 (2.2)	61.1 (16.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)	22.9 (−5.1)	26.3 (−3.2)	36.4 (2.4)	45.6 (7.6)	55.1 (12.8)	64.4 (18.0)	72.4 (22.4)	70.8 (21.6)	60.3 (15.7)	46.7 (8.2)	33.9 (1.1)	24.2 (−4.3)	46.6 (8.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	10.7 (−11.8)	13.9 (−10.1)	22.6 (−5.2)	31.3 (−0.4)	40.7 (4.8)	49.4 (9.7)	55.1 (12.8)	52.6 (11.4)	43.5 (6.4)	32.4 (0.2)	21.2 (−6.0)	12.5 (−10.8)	32.2 (0.1)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−18.0 (−27.8)	−12.0 (−24.4)	−1.6 (−18.7)	14.9 (−9.5)	25.1 (−3.8)	37.2 (2.9)	44.6 (7.0)	39.8 (4.3)	29.0 (−1.7)	14.3 (−9.8)	−2.4 (−19.1)	−11.7 (−24.3)	−26.7 (−32.6)
Record low °F (°C)	−42 (−41)	−40 (−40)	−41 (−41)	−2 (−19)	16 (−9)	28 (−2)	34 (1)	30 (−1)	19 (−7)	−12 (−24)	−32 (−36)	−44 (−42)	−44 (−42)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.55 (14)	0.61 (15)	0.91 (23)	1.71 (43)	3.12 (79)	2.55 (65)	1.44 (37)	0.91 (23)	1.21 (31)	1.37 (35)	0.54 (14)	0.55 (14)	15.47 (393)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	7.5 (19)	8.0 (20)	6.9 (18)	4.0 (10)	0.5 (1.3)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1.7 (4.3)	4.4 (11)	7.4 (19)	40.4 (102.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	7.3	6.9	7.4	9.0	11.0	10.0	7.1	5.4	6.1	7.1	6.1	6.3	89.7
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	6.2	5.8	3.8	1.7	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	3.6	5.6	28.4
Source 1: NOAA [5]
Source 2: National Weather Service [6]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	7,985		—
1920	8,002		0.2%
1930	7,347		−8.2%
1940	6,477		−11.8%
1950	6,570		1.4%
1960	6,187		−5.8%
1970	6,032		−2.5%
1980	9,899		64.1%
1990	10,505		6.1%
2000	9,383		−10.7%
2010	9,233		−1.6%
2020	8,329		−9.8%
2024 (est.)	8,194	[7]	−1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] [9] [10] [11] 2010–2020 [2]

2000 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,329 people living in the county.^{[ citation needed ]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 9,233 people, 3,395 households, and 2,318 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.8 inhabitants per square mile (0.69/km²). There were 4,057 housing units at an average density of 0.8 per square mile (0.31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.3% white, 34.7% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.0% were American, 19.0% were German, 6.9% were English, and 6.6% were Irish.

Of the 3,395 households, 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.32. The median age was 36.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,776 and the median income for a family was $56,282. Males had a median income of $52,500 versus $28,306 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,844. About 13.6% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Rosebud County leans Republican, though less so than most surrounding rural Montana counties. The Northern Cheyenne Reservation in the southern part of the county, which includes the communities of Ashland and Lame Deer, traditionally votes Democratic, while the northern part of the county, including Forsyth and Colstrip, vote solidly Republican. The county has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in only 4 elections since 1964, the last being 2008. The county has seen strong Republican trends in more recent elections, with Donald Trump's performances in the county in 2020 and 2024 being the strongest Republican victories there since 1952. ^[12]

United States presidential election results for Rosebud County, Montana ^{[13] [14]}

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
1904	460	75.66%	134	22.04%	14	2.30%
1908	515	66.03%	235	30.13%	30	3.85%
1912	392	33.91%	313	27.08%	451	39.01%
1916	1,337	43.95%	1,608	52.86%	97	3.19%
1920	2,239	68.22%	873	26.60%	170	5.18%
1924	1,115	49.12%	259	11.41%	896	39.47%
1928	1,519	59.38%	1,025	40.07%	14	0.55%
1932	1,027	36.63%	1,646	58.70%	131	4.67%
1936	866	32.43%	1,624	60.82%	180	6.74%
1940	1,252	46.77%	1,399	52.26%	26	0.97%
1944	1,154	50.15%	1,114	48.41%	33	1.43%
1948	1,106	50.71%	1,031	47.27%	44	2.02%
1952	1,734	67.92%	805	31.53%	14	0.55%
1956	1,516	63.01%	890	36.99%	0	0.00%
1960	1,386	57.77%	1,002	41.77%	11	0.46%
1964	1,105	47.61%	1,212	52.22%	4	0.17%
1968	1,190	56.42%	711	33.71%	208	9.86%
1972	1,486	63.23%	777	33.06%	87	3.70%
1976	1,538	51.16%	1,413	47.01%	55	1.83%
1980	1,875	54.46%	1,167	33.89%	401	11.65%
1984	2,413	54.82%	1,920	43.62%	69	1.57%
1988	1,822	48.05%	1,869	49.29%	101	2.66%
1992	1,130	28.84%	1,669	42.60%	1,119	28.56%
1996	1,413	38.37%	1,681	45.64%	589	15.99%
2000	1,826	53.35%	1,394	40.72%	203	5.93%
2004	1,982	55.29%	1,520	42.40%	83	2.32%
2008	1,768	46.40%	1,919	50.37%	123	3.23%
2012	2,004	56.88%	1,422	40.36%	97	2.75%
2016	2,253	65.25%	987	28.58%	213	6.17%
2020	2,486	65.70%	1,199	31.69%	99	2.62%
2024	2,466	66.77%	1,095	29.65%	132	3.57%

Communities

Cities

• Colstrip
• Forsyth (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Ashland
• Birney
• Lame Deer
• Rosebud

Unincorporated communities

• Ahles
• Angela
• Bascom
• Carterville
• Hathaway
• Ingomar
• Jimtown
• Rock Springs
• Sumatra
• Thurlow

Former communities

• Vananda

Notable people

• Heather Sharfeddin – novelist, born in Rosebud County
• Frederic Remington (1861-1909) - famous western artist who lived at times, as late as 1901, on the Charles Boals ranch near Birney and the Cheyenne Indian Reservation where he hunted, painted and sketched. ^[15]

See also

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

Footnotes

1. "Montana History Wiki: Montana Counties". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
5. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
6. "NOAA Online Weather Data". National Weather Service. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
7. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
12. Datar, Saurabh; Marcus, Ilana; Murray, Eli; Singer, Ethan; Lemonides, Alex; Zhang, Christine; Smith, Jonah (January 15, 2025). "An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2024 Election". The New York Times.
13. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
14. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 368 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 80 votes, and Write-in candidate Eugene Chafin received 3 votes.
15. "Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, October 03, 1901, Image 5". October 3, 1901.

External links

• Official website

46°14′N106°43′W / 46.23°N 106.72°W / 46.23; -106.72