Sheridan County, Montana | |
|---|---|
 Sheridan County Courthouse in Plentywood | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
| Coordinates:48°44′N104°30′W / 48.73°N 104.5°W /48.73; -104.5 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | March 11, 1913 |
| Named after | Philip Sheridan |
| Seat | Plentywood |
| Largest city | Plentywood |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km2) |
| • Land | 1,677 sq mi (4,340 km2) |
| • Water | 29 sq mi (75 km2) 1.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,539 |
• Estimate (2024) | 3,448 |
| • Density | 2.110/sq mi (0.8148/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
| |
Sheridan County is acounty in theU.S. state ofMontana. As of the2020 census, the population was 3,539.[1] Itscounty seat isPlentywood.[2] Its northern boundary is theCanada–United States border south ofSaskatchewan.
TheMontana Legislature established Sheridan County in 1913 from portions ofDawson andValley Counties. It was named forAmerican Civil WarGeneralPhilip Sheridan.[3] In the 1920s and 1930s the county was a hotbed ofcommunist organizing. TheCPUSA managed to elect several town and county officials. At the1932 presidential election the communist candidateWilliam Z. Foster got 576 votes (22%).[4] International changes in communist organizing strategies, especially the move towards thepopular front, effectively ended communist presence in the area.[5]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,706 square miles (4,420 km2), of which 1,677 square miles (4,340 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (1.7%) is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 13,847 | — | |
| 1930 | 9,869 | −28.7% | |
| 1940 | 7,814 | −20.8% | |
| 1950 | 6,674 | −14.6% | |
| 1960 | 6,458 | −3.2% | |
| 1970 | 5,779 | −10.5% | |
| 1980 | 5,414 | −6.3% | |
| 1990 | 4,732 | −12.6% | |
| 2000 | 4,105 | −13.3% | |
| 2010 | 3,384 | −17.6% | |
| 2020 | 3,539 | 4.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 3,448 | [7] | −2.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960,[9] 1900–1990,[10] 1990–2000,[11] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 3,539. Of the residents, 21.3% were under the age of 18 and 24.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 46.0 years. For every 100 females there were 108.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.4 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.[12][13][14]
The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% White, 0.4%Black or African American, 1.8%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 6.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.0% of the population.[14]
There were 1,631 households in the county, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 2,128 housing units, of which 23.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.5% were owner-occupied and 27.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.4%.[13]
As of the2010 census, there were 3,384 people, 1,587 households, and 944 families living in the county. The population density was 2.0 inhabitants per square mile (0.77/km2). There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of 1.2 units per square mile (0.46 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.8% wereNorwegian, 26.0% wereGerman, 12.0% wereDanish, 11.6% wereIrish, 5.5% wereSwedish, 5.3% wereEnglish, and 5.0% wereAmerican.
Of the 1,587 households, 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.5% were non-families, and 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 50.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,578 and the median income for a family was $55,313. Males had a median income of $46,932 versus $22,107 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,537. About 6.4% of families and 14.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Sheridan County voters have selected the Republican County candidate in 80% of the national elections since 1980.
Sheridan County had a strongCommunist Party presence in the first half of the 20th century. In the 1932 presidential election, Communist candidateWilliam Z. Foster received 18% of the vote in the county, his strongest performance nationwide.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1916 | 1,724 | 32.15% | 3,264 | 60.86% | 375 | 6.99% |
| 1920 | 1,335 | 53.46% | 610 | 24.43% | 552 | 22.11% |
| 1924 | 905 | 35.32% | 176 | 6.87% | 1,481 | 57.81% |
| 1928 | 1,624 | 54.66% | 1,190 | 40.05% | 157 | 5.28% |
| 1932 | 739 | 22.77% | 1,450 | 44.67% | 1,057 | 32.56% |
| 1936 | 513 | 16.19% | 2,503 | 79.01% | 152 | 4.80% |
| 1940 | 892 | 29.23% | 2,108 | 69.07% | 52 | 1.70% |
| 1944 | 791 | 31.04% | 1,713 | 67.23% | 44 | 1.73% |
| 1948 | 699 | 28.50% | 1,515 | 61.76% | 239 | 9.74% |
| 1952 | 1,339 | 49.39% | 1,347 | 49.69% | 25 | 0.92% |
| 1956 | 1,153 | 38.31% | 1,857 | 61.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,196 | 43.43% | 1,549 | 56.25% | 9 | 0.33% |
| 1964 | 837 | 30.39% | 1,905 | 69.17% | 12 | 0.44% |
| 1968 | 1,180 | 45.81% | 1,275 | 49.50% | 121 | 4.70% |
| 1972 | 1,500 | 53.96% | 1,197 | 43.06% | 83 | 2.99% |
| 1976 | 1,114 | 41.05% | 1,560 | 57.48% | 40 | 1.47% |
| 1980 | 1,658 | 56.94% | 955 | 32.80% | 299 | 10.27% |
| 1984 | 1,774 | 61.62% | 1,087 | 37.76% | 18 | 0.63% |
| 1988 | 1,381 | 49.98% | 1,354 | 49.00% | 28 | 1.01% |
| 1992 | 795 | 29.85% | 1,077 | 40.44% | 791 | 29.70% |
| 1996 | 832 | 34.17% | 1,187 | 48.75% | 416 | 17.08% |
| 2000 | 1,176 | 59.85% | 702 | 35.73% | 87 | 4.43% |
| 2004 | 1,159 | 56.87% | 846 | 41.51% | 33 | 1.62% |
| 2008 | 987 | 49.20% | 953 | 47.51% | 66 | 3.29% |
| 2012 | 1,207 | 62.60% | 665 | 34.49% | 56 | 2.90% |
| 2016 | 1,241 | 67.63% | 477 | 25.99% | 117 | 6.38% |
| 2020 | 1,403 | 69.11% | 574 | 28.28% | 53 | 2.61% |
| 2024 | 1,321 | 69.09% | 509 | 26.62% | 82 | 4.29% |
School districts include:[17]
Places adjacent to Sheridan County, Montana | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSheridan County, Montana,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
