Toole County, Montana | |
|---|---|
 Toole County Courthouse in Shelby | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
 Montana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:48°39′N111°41′W / 48.65°N 111.69°W /48.65; -111.69 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | 1914 |
| Named after | Joseph Toole |
| Seat | Shelby |
| Largest city | Shelby |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,946 sq mi (5,040 km2) |
| • Land | 1,916 sq mi (4,960 km2) |
| • Water | 30 sq mi (78 km2) 1.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,971 |
• Estimate (2024) | 5,153 |
| • Density | 2.594/sq mi (1.002/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
| |
Toole County is acounty in the northern portion of theU.S. state ofMontana. As of the2020 census, the population was 4,971.[1] Itscounty seat isShelby.[2] The county was established in 1914 from parts ofHill County andTeton County and was named afterJoseph Toole, the first and fourth governor of Montana. Its northern boundary is theCanada–United States border south ofAlberta.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,946 square miles (5,040 km2), of which 1,916 square miles (4,960 km2) is land and 30 square miles (78 km2) (1.5%) is water.[3]
Its northern boundary is theCanada–United States border. A part of its southern boundary by the southwestern county corner is formed byMarias River, which flows eastward through the southern part of the county. In the eastern part are several creeks, the largest of which is Willow, which rises in theSweet Grass Hills and follows a southerly course through the county. In the Sweet Grass Hills and elsewhere indications of oil and gas have been found.
Interstate 15 - connects toAlberta Highway 4 at Canadian border
U.S. Route 2| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 3,724 | — | |
| 1930 | 6,714 | 80.3% | |
| 1940 | 6,769 | 0.8% | |
| 1950 | 6,867 | 1.4% | |
| 1960 | 7,904 | 15.1% | |
| 1970 | 5,839 | −26.1% | |
| 1980 | 5,559 | −4.8% | |
| 1990 | 5,046 | −9.2% | |
| 2000 | 5,267 | 4.4% | |
| 2010 | 5,324 | 1.1% | |
| 2020 | 4,971 | −6.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 5,153 | [4] | 3.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790–1960,[6] 1900–1990,[7] 1990–2000,[8] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 4,971 people living in the county.[citation needed]
As of the2010 census, there were 5,324 people, 2,015 households, and 1,246 families in the county. The population density was 2.8 inhabitants per square mile (1.1/km2). There were 2,336 housing units at an average density of 1.2 units per square mile (0.46 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% white, 4.5% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.8% wereGerman, 17.7% wereIrish, 15.8% wereEnglish, 10.5% wereNorwegian, and 3.6% wereAmerican.
Of the 2,015 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,949 and the median income for a family was $54,722. Males had a median income of $41,490 versus $32,582 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,464. About 11.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
Toole County voters have only selected Republican Party candidates in national elections since 1964.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1916 | 698 | 35.40% | 1,075 | 54.51% | 199 | 10.09% |
| 1920 | 861 | 61.28% | 405 | 28.83% | 139 | 9.89% |
| 1924 | 697 | 37.49% | 439 | 23.61% | 723 | 38.89% |
| 1928 | 1,325 | 54.71% | 1,076 | 44.43% | 21 | 0.87% |
| 1932 | 862 | 29.99% | 1,917 | 66.70% | 95 | 3.31% |
| 1936 | 654 | 22.68% | 2,120 | 73.51% | 110 | 3.81% |
| 1940 | 1,218 | 38.28% | 1,954 | 61.41% | 10 | 0.31% |
| 1944 | 1,113 | 41.72% | 1,545 | 57.91% | 10 | 0.37% |
| 1948 | 1,092 | 37.81% | 1,756 | 60.80% | 40 | 1.39% |
| 1952 | 1,853 | 56.25% | 1,426 | 43.29% | 15 | 0.46% |
| 1956 | 1,927 | 56.89% | 1,460 | 43.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,577 | 47.10% | 1,767 | 52.78% | 4 | 0.12% |
| 1964 | 1,223 | 42.55% | 1,649 | 57.38% | 2 | 0.07% |
| 1968 | 1,407 | 51.96% | 1,048 | 38.70% | 253 | 9.34% |
| 1972 | 1,679 | 59.64% | 897 | 31.87% | 239 | 8.49% |
| 1976 | 1,469 | 56.43% | 1,080 | 41.49% | 54 | 2.07% |
| 1980 | 2,000 | 70.18% | 634 | 22.25% | 216 | 7.58% |
| 1984 | 1,949 | 70.41% | 789 | 28.50% | 30 | 1.08% |
| 1988 | 1,505 | 57.14% | 1,070 | 40.62% | 59 | 2.24% |
| 1992 | 943 | 34.71% | 854 | 31.43% | 920 | 33.86% |
| 1996 | 1,203 | 48.47% | 874 | 35.21% | 405 | 16.32% |
| 2000 | 1,639 | 68.92% | 630 | 26.49% | 109 | 4.58% |
| 2004 | 1,583 | 68.50% | 690 | 29.86% | 38 | 1.64% |
| 2008 | 1,317 | 62.09% | 737 | 34.75% | 67 | 3.16% |
| 2012 | 1,440 | 68.51% | 582 | 27.69% | 80 | 3.81% |
| 2016 | 1,497 | 73.49% | 402 | 19.73% | 138 | 6.77% |
| 2020 | 1,596 | 75.32% | 467 | 22.04% | 56 | 2.64% |
| 2024 | 1,571 | 76.78% | 415 | 20.28% | 60 | 2.93% |
Places adjacent to Toole County, Montana | |
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Municipalities and communities ofToole County, Montana,United States | ||
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