Lewis and Clark County, Montana | |
|---|---|
 The "Sleeping Giant" formation north of Helena | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
| Coordinates:47°07′N112°23′W / 47.11°N 112.38°W /47.11; -112.38 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | June 2, 1865 |
| Named after | Meriwether Lewis andWilliam Clark |
| Seat | Helena |
| Largest city | Helena |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,498 sq mi (9,060 km2) |
| • Land | 3,459 sq mi (8,960 km2) |
| • Water | 39 sq mi (100 km2) 1.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 70,973 |
• Estimate (2024) | 75,129 |
| • Density | 20.52/sq mi (7.922/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
| |
Lewis and Clark County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMontana. As of the2020 census, the population was 70,973.[1] Itscounty seat isHelena,[2] the state capital. The numerical designation for Lewis and Clark County (used in the issuance of the state'slicense plates) is 5. The county was established on June 2, 1865, as one of the nine original counties of theTerritory of Montana named Edgerton County in honor ofSidney Edgerton, firstGovernor of the Territory of Montana, and was renamed Lewis and Clark County on March 1, 1868, in honor of explorersMeriwether Lewis andWilliam Clark.[3][4] Lewis and Clark County is part of the Helena, MontanaMicropolitan Statistical Area, and comprises the entirety of the Helenamedia market.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,498 square miles (9,060 km2), of which 3,459 square miles (8,960 km2) is land and 39 square miles (100 km2) (1.1%) is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 5,040 | — | |
| 1880 | 6,521 | 29.4% | |
| 1890 | 19,145 | 193.6% | |
| 1900 | 19,171 | 0.1% | |
| 1910 | 21,853 | 14.0% | |
| 1920 | 18,660 | −14.6% | |
| 1930 | 18,224 | −2.3% | |
| 1940 | 22,131 | 21.4% | |
| 1950 | 24,540 | 10.9% | |
| 1960 | 28,006 | 14.1% | |
| 1970 | 33,281 | 18.8% | |
| 1980 | 43,039 | 29.3% | |
| 1990 | 47,495 | 10.4% | |
| 2000 | 55,716 | 17.3% | |
| 2010 | 63,395 | 13.8% | |
| 2020 | 70,973 | 12.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 75,129 | [6] | 5.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960,[8] 1900–1990,[9] 1990–2000,[10] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 70,973.[11] Of the residents, 21.5% were under the age of 18 and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.3 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males. 73.8% of residents lived in urban areas and 26.2% lived in rural areas.[12]
The racial makeup of the county was 88.8% White, 0.4%Black or African American, 1.9%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 7.1% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.7% of the population.[13]
There were 30,204 households in the county, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 33,599 housing units, of which 10.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.3% were owner-occupied and 31.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%.[11]
As of the2010 census, there were 63,395 people, 26,694 households, and 16,705 families in the county. The population density was 18.3 inhabitants per square mile (7.1/km2). There were 30,180 housing units at an average density of 8.7 per square mile (3.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% white, 2.1% American Indian, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 29.2% wereGerman, 19.3% wereIrish, 15.0% wereEnglish, 8.9% wereNorwegian, and 5.1% wereAmerican.
Of the 26,694 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.4% were non-families, and 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 40.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,238 and the median income for a family was $65,573. Males had a median income of $44,476 versus $34,893 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,894. About 5.8% of families and 9.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Lewis and Clark County leans slightly Republican, but it has voted for Democratic candidates three times since 1964.Bill Clinton won by nearly seven percentage points in 1992, butBob Dole won by 130 votes in 1996.Barack Obama carried the county in 2008 but lost it toMitt Romney in 2012. In recent elections, the county has voted Republican but only by narrow margins.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,014 | 38.14% | 2,093 | 39.64% | 1,173 | 22.22% |
| 1896 | 1,057 | 21.07% | 3,939 | 78.53% | 20 | 0.40% |
| 1900 | 2,043 | 42.03% | 2,763 | 56.84% | 55 | 1.13% |
| 1904 | 2,505 | 54.60% | 1,543 | 33.63% | 540 | 11.77% |
| 1908 | 2,033 | 45.89% | 2,062 | 46.55% | 335 | 7.56% |
| 1912 | 1,062 | 24.50% | 1,505 | 34.72% | 1,768 | 40.78% |
| 1916 | 3,423 | 42.99% | 4,337 | 54.47% | 202 | 2.54% |
| 1920 | 4,348 | 62.90% | 2,413 | 34.91% | 152 | 2.20% |
| 1924 | 3,433 | 49.93% | 1,869 | 27.19% | 1,573 | 22.88% |
| 1928 | 4,441 | 57.35% | 3,278 | 42.33% | 25 | 0.32% |
| 1932 | 3,671 | 42.71% | 4,714 | 54.84% | 211 | 2.45% |
| 1936 | 2,951 | 33.82% | 5,614 | 64.34% | 160 | 1.83% |
| 1940 | 4,762 | 44.58% | 5,814 | 54.42% | 107 | 1.00% |
| 1944 | 4,482 | 48.41% | 4,737 | 51.17% | 39 | 0.42% |
| 1948 | 5,174 | 50.85% | 4,745 | 46.63% | 257 | 2.53% |
| 1952 | 7,663 | 62.58% | 4,563 | 37.26% | 20 | 0.16% |
| 1956 | 7,959 | 64.41% | 4,397 | 35.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 7,260 | 54.65% | 6,008 | 45.22% | 17 | 0.13% |
| 1964 | 6,155 | 44.97% | 7,506 | 54.84% | 26 | 0.19% |
| 1968 | 7,979 | 56.53% | 5,379 | 38.11% | 757 | 5.36% |
| 1972 | 10,719 | 61.90% | 6,081 | 35.12% | 516 | 2.98% |
| 1976 | 10,155 | 54.84% | 8,118 | 43.84% | 244 | 1.32% |
| 1980 | 12,128 | 57.18% | 6,815 | 32.13% | 2,269 | 10.70% |
| 1984 | 13,569 | 59.97% | 8,768 | 38.75% | 289 | 1.28% |
| 1988 | 10,946 | 46.91% | 11,932 | 51.14% | 456 | 1.95% |
| 1992 | 9,351 | 35.72% | 11,117 | 42.47% | 5,711 | 21.82% |
| 1996 | 11,665 | 43.94% | 11,535 | 43.45% | 3,347 | 12.61% |
| 2000 | 15,091 | 55.34% | 9,982 | 36.61% | 2,196 | 8.05% |
| 2004 | 16,494 | 55.27% | 12,717 | 42.61% | 632 | 2.12% |
| 2008 | 14,966 | 45.31% | 17,114 | 51.82% | 949 | 2.87% |
| 2012 | 16,803 | 50.43% | 15,620 | 46.88% | 895 | 2.69% |
| 2016 | 16,895 | 47.87% | 14,478 | 41.02% | 3,923 | 11.11% |
| 2020 | 21,409 | 50.64% | 19,743 | 46.70% | 1,121 | 2.65% |
| 2024 | 21,479 | 50.82% | 19,085 | 45.16% | 1,699 | 4.02% |
School districts include:
K-12 (Unified):[32]
High school:[32]
Elementary school:[32]
Places adjacent to Lewis and Clark County, Montana | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofLewis and Clark County, Montana,United States | ||
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| Ghost town | ||
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