Musselshell County, Montana | |
|---|---|
 The Musselshell County Courthouse in Roundup | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
 Montana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:46°29′N108°24′W / 46.49°N 108.4°W /46.49; -108.4 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | February 2, 1911[1] |
| Seat | Roundup |
| Largest city | Roundup |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,871 sq mi (4,850 km2) |
| • Land | 1,868 sq mi (4,840 km2) |
| • Water | 2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2) 0.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,730 |
• Estimate (2024) | 5,452 |
| • Density | 2.53/sq mi (0.978/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | musselshellcounty |
| |
Musselshell County is acounty in south-centralMontana. As of the2020 census, the population was 4,730.[3] Itscounty seat isRoundup.[4]
Musselshell County was created in 1911 by Montana GovernorEdwin L. Norris. The area was taken fromFergus,Yellowstone, andMeagher counties. It was named for theMusselshell River which runs southwest–northeast through the county. That river had been thus named in 1805 by theLewis and Clark Expedition, due to the abundance offreshwater mussels found along its banks. In 1915, a western portion of the county was partitioned off to formGolden Valley County, giving Musselshell County its present boundaries.
The county's northwestern area is rolling grasslands, which slope southeastward to the Musselshell River and the forestedBull Mountains in the southeast. The county has abundant natural resources of coal deposits, subterranean oil, and timbered slopes.[1]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,863.91 square miles (4,827.5 km2), of which 1,861.16 square miles (4,820.4 km2) is land and 2.75 square miles (7.1 km2) (0.1%) is water.[5]
In the fourteen national elections after its organization, Musselshell County voters selected Republican presidential candidates 50% of the time, and Democratic candidates 50% of the time. However, since the 1968 election, the Republican candidate has been selected in every election.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 483 | 30.80% | 470 | 29.97% | 615 | 39.22% |
| 1916 | 1,738 | 42.92% | 2,036 | 50.28% | 275 | 6.79% |
| 1920 | 1,910 | 59.22% | 951 | 29.49% | 364 | 11.29% |
| 1924 | 1,488 | 45.55% | 247 | 7.56% | 1,532 | 46.89% |
| 1928 | 1,608 | 50.55% | 1,444 | 45.39% | 129 | 4.06% |
| 1932 | 1,021 | 35.95% | 1,584 | 55.77% | 235 | 8.27% |
| 1936 | 771 | 25.58% | 2,092 | 69.41% | 151 | 5.01% |
| 1940 | 1,086 | 36.79% | 1,807 | 61.21% | 59 | 2.00% |
| 1944 | 1,004 | 42.27% | 1,342 | 56.51% | 29 | 1.22% |
| 1948 | 1,010 | 40.46% | 1,188 | 47.60% | 298 | 11.94% |
| 1952 | 1,253 | 50.08% | 1,240 | 49.56% | 9 | 0.36% |
| 1956 | 1,165 | 51.10% | 1,115 | 48.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,107 | 50.09% | 1,100 | 49.77% | 3 | 0.14% |
| 1964 | 823 | 40.90% | 1,189 | 59.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 953 | 51.15% | 795 | 42.67% | 115 | 6.17% |
| 1972 | 1,202 | 61.11% | 689 | 35.03% | 76 | 3.86% |
| 1976 | 1,117 | 54.09% | 922 | 44.65% | 26 | 1.26% |
| 1980 | 1,279 | 58.03% | 784 | 35.57% | 141 | 6.40% |
| 1984 | 1,541 | 65.32% | 781 | 33.11% | 37 | 1.57% |
| 1988 | 1,280 | 58.08% | 898 | 40.74% | 26 | 1.18% |
| 1992 | 876 | 39.32% | 648 | 29.08% | 704 | 31.60% |
| 1996 | 1,121 | 54.00% | 652 | 31.41% | 303 | 14.60% |
| 2000 | 1,582 | 71.68% | 512 | 23.20% | 113 | 5.12% |
| 2004 | 1,663 | 74.01% | 538 | 23.94% | 46 | 2.05% |
| 2008 | 1,581 | 68.56% | 636 | 27.58% | 89 | 3.86% |
| 2012 | 1,833 | 76.15% | 492 | 20.44% | 82 | 3.41% |
| 2016 | 1,967 | 80.58% | 332 | 13.60% | 142 | 5.82% |
| 2020 | 2,423 | 84.10% | 413 | 14.34% | 45 | 1.56% |
| 2024 | 2,550 | 84.66% | 396 | 13.15% | 66 | 2.19% |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 12,030 | — | |
| 1930 | 7,242 | −39.8% | |
| 1940 | 5,717 | −21.1% | |
| 1950 | 5,408 | −5.4% | |
| 1960 | 4,888 | −9.6% | |
| 1970 | 3,734 | −23.6% | |
| 1980 | 4,428 | 18.6% | |
| 1990 | 4,106 | −7.3% | |
| 2000 | 4,497 | 9.5% | |
| 2010 | 4,538 | 0.9% | |
| 2020 | 4,730 | 4.2% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 5,452 | [8] | 15.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960,[10] 1900–1990,[11] 1990–2000,[12] 2010–2020[3] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 4,730 people living in the county.[citation needed]
As of the2010 census, there were 4,538 people, 2,046 households, and 1,276 families in the county. The population density was 2.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.93/km2). There were 2,654 housing units at an average density of 1.4 units per square mile (0.54 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.1% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.1% wereGerman, 16.5% wereEnglish, 16.1% wereIrish, 7.6% wereNorwegian, and 7.0% wereAmerican.
Of the 2,046 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 49.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,033 and the median income for a family was $47,860. Males had a median income of $33,182 versus $25,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,875. About 14.1% of families and 17.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Places adjacent to Musselshell County, Montana | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofMusselshell County, Montana,United States | ||
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