Stillwater County, Montana

Stillwater County
County
Beartooth Mountains from Park City
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°40′N109°23′W / 45.67°N 109.39°W / 45.67; -109.39
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	1913
Named for	Stillwater River
Seat	Columbus
Largest town	Columbus
Area
• Total	1,805 sq mi (4,670 km2)
• Land	1,795 sq mi (4,650 km2)
• Water	9.2 sq mi (24 km2)  0.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,963
• Estimate  (2022)	9,177
• Density	5.0/sq mi (1.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.stillwater.mt.gov
Montana county number 32

Mouat chromite mine and mill, 1942

Stillwater County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,963. ^[1] Its county seat is Columbus. ^[2]

Geography

According to the United States 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. ^[3]

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)
• Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
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%
2020	8,963		−1.7%
2022 (est.)	9,177	[4]	2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [5] 1790–1960, [6] 1900–1990, [7] 1990–2000, [8] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,963 people living in the county.^{[ citation needed ]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 9,117 people, 3,796 households, and 2,657 families 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 units per square mile (1.0 units/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.

Politics

Stillwater County is a heavily Republican county in presidential elections. It has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936.

United States presidential election results for Stillwater County, Montana ^[9]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,462	77.95%	1,156	20.20%	106	1.85%
2016	3,661	75.13%	908	18.63%	304	6.24%
2012	3,337	70.97%	1,248	26.54%	117	2.49%
2008	2,991	64.09%	1,512	32.40%	164	3.51%
2004	3,090	73.34%	1,025	24.33%	98	2.33%
2000	2,765	70.57%	925	23.61%	228	5.82%
1996	1,871	49.24%	1,282	33.74%	647	17.03%
1992	1,390	38.19%	1,178	32.36%	1,072	29.45%
1988	1,920	56.82%	1,407	41.64%	52	1.54%
1984	2,118	65.01%	1,100	33.76%	40	1.23%
1980	1,828	61.26%	919	30.80%	237	7.94%
1976	1,446	54.88%	1,143	43.38%	46	1.75%
1972	1,698	67.95%	716	28.65%	85	3.40%
1968	1,347	61.20%	676	30.71%	178	8.09%
1964	1,140	50.20%	1,130	49.76%	1	0.04%
1960	1,455	58.41%	1,036	41.59%	0	0.00%
1956	1,540	60.32%	1,013	39.68%	0	0.00%
1952	1,689	67.02%	816	32.38%	15	0.60%
1948	1,137	54.48%	890	42.64%	60	2.87%
1944	1,201	56.07%	934	43.60%	7	0.33%
1940	1,255	50.71%	1,201	48.53%	19	0.77%
1936	1,034	42.69%	1,292	53.34%	96	3.96%
1932	1,085	44.23%	1,281	52.22%	87	3.55%
1928	1,687	70.06%	711	29.53%	10	0.42%
1924	1,412	59.88%	375	15.90%	571	24.22%
1920	1,721	70.50%	664	27.20%	56	2.29%
1916	918	42.01%	1,197	54.78%	70	3.20%

Communities

Town

• Columbus (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Absarokee
• Fishtail
• Nye
• Park City
• Rapelje
• Reed Point

Unincorporated communities

• Beehive
• Dean
• Meyers Creek (partial) ^[10]
• Molt
• Reed Point ^[11]

Ghost towns

• Limestone
• Springtime
• Wheat Basin

See also

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

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
8. "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 30, 2014.
9. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
10. Meyers Creek MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)
11. Reed Point MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)

Further reading

• Hooker, Patty; Museum of the Beartooths (2011). Columbus and Stillwater County. Images of America. Charleston SC: Arcadia Pub. ISBN   9780738574622.
• Hooker, Patty (2013). Moccasins, Mining & Montana's 34th county: A Centennial Celebration of Stillwater County. Virginia Beach VA: Donning Co. ISBN   9781578648122.

45°40′N109°23′W / 45.67°N 109.39°W / 45.67; -109.39