Rosebud County, Montana | |
|---|---|
 County courthouse in Forsyth | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
| Coordinates:46°14′N106°43′W / 46.23°N 106.72°W /46.23; -106.72 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | February 11, 1901 |
| Named after | Rosebud River |
| Seat | Forsyth |
| Largest city | Colstrip |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,027 sq mi (13,020 km2) |
| • Land | 5,010 sq mi (13,000 km2) |
| • Water | 17 sq mi (44 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,329 |
• Estimate (2024) | 8,194 |
| • Density | 1.66/sq mi (0.642/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | rosebudcountymt |
| |
Rosebud County is acounty in thestate ofMontana. It was established February 11, 1901, and has Montana vehicle license plate prefix 29.[1] As of the2020 census, the population was 8,329.[2] Itscounty seat isForsyth.[3]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,027 square miles (13,020 km2), of which 5,010 square miles (13,000 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (0.3%) is water.[4] It is the fourth-largest county in Montana by land area and fifth-largest by total area. Part ofCuster National Forest is located in the county.
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, most of Rosebud County has acold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Brandenberg, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1956–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) | 72 (22) | 86 (30) | 91 (33) | 101 (38) | 111 (44) | 112 (44) | 111 (44) | 105 (41) | 98 (37) | 81 (27) | 70 (21) | 112 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.4 (13.6) | 58.6 (14.8) | 72.7 (22.6) | 82.1 (27.8) | 87.9 (31.1) | 96.4 (35.8) | 103.0 (39.4) | 102.1 (38.9) | 97.5 (36.4) | 84.3 (29.1) | 68.9 (20.5) | 56.4 (13.6) | 104.7 (40.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 35.2 (1.8) | 38.8 (3.8) | 50.2 (10.1) | 60.0 (15.6) | 69.5 (20.8) | 79.3 (26.3) | 89.8 (32.1) | 89.1 (31.7) | 77.2 (25.1) | 61.0 (16.1) | 46.5 (8.1) | 36.0 (2.2) | 61.1 (16.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.9 (−5.1) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 36.4 (2.4) | 45.6 (7.6) | 55.1 (12.8) | 64.4 (18.0) | 72.4 (22.4) | 70.8 (21.6) | 60.3 (15.7) | 46.7 (8.2) | 33.9 (1.1) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 46.6 (8.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 10.7 (−11.8) | 13.9 (−10.1) | 22.6 (−5.2) | 31.3 (−0.4) | 40.7 (4.8) | 49.4 (9.7) | 55.1 (12.8) | 52.6 (11.4) | 43.5 (6.4) | 32.4 (0.2) | 21.2 (−6.0) | 12.5 (−10.8) | 32.2 (0.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −18.0 (−27.8) | −12.0 (−24.4) | −1.6 (−18.7) | 14.9 (−9.5) | 25.1 (−3.8) | 37.2 (2.9) | 44.6 (7.0) | 39.8 (4.3) | 29.0 (−1.7) | 14.3 (−9.8) | −2.4 (−19.1) | −11.7 (−24.3) | −26.7 (−32.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −42 (−41) | −40 (−40) | −41 (−41) | −2 (−19) | 16 (−9) | 28 (−2) | 34 (1) | 30 (−1) | 19 (−7) | −12 (−24) | −32 (−36) | −44 (−42) | −44 (−42) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.55 (14) | 0.61 (15) | 0.91 (23) | 1.71 (43) | 3.12 (79) | 2.55 (65) | 1.44 (37) | 0.91 (23) | 1.21 (31) | 1.37 (35) | 0.54 (14) | 0.55 (14) | 15.47 (393) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.5 (19) | 8.0 (20) | 6.9 (18) | 4.0 (10) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.7 (4.3) | 4.4 (11) | 7.4 (19) | 40.4 (102.6) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 7.3 | 6.9 | 7.4 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 89.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 6.2 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 5.6 | 28.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA[5] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[6] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 7,985 | — | |
| 1920 | 8,002 | 0.2% | |
| 1930 | 7,347 | −8.2% | |
| 1940 | 6,477 | −11.8% | |
| 1950 | 6,570 | 1.4% | |
| 1960 | 6,187 | −5.8% | |
| 1970 | 6,032 | −2.5% | |
| 1980 | 9,899 | 64.1% | |
| 1990 | 10,505 | 6.1% | |
| 2000 | 9,383 | −10.7% | |
| 2010 | 9,233 | −1.6% | |
| 2020 | 8,329 | −9.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 8,194 | [7] | −1.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8][9][10][11] 2010–2020[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 8,329. Of the residents, 27.1% were under the age of 18 and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.6 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 58.0% White, 0.2%Black or African American, 35.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 5.1% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.8% of the population.[14]
There were 3,145 households in the county, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 3,780 housing units, of which 16.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.7% were owner-occupied and 32.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.3%.[13]
As of the2010 census, there were 9,233 people, 3,395 households, and 2,318 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.8 inhabitants per square mile (0.69/km2). There were 4,057 housing units at an average density of 0.8 per square mile (0.31/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 61.3% white, 34.7% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.0% wereAmerican, 19.0% wereGerman, 6.9% wereEnglish, and 6.6% wereIrish.
Of the 3,395 households, 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.7% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.32. The median age was 36.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,776 and the median income for a family was $56,282. Males had a median income of $52,500 versus $28,306 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,844. About 13.6% of families and 18.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.
Rosebud County leans Republican, though less so than most surrounding rural Montana counties. TheNorthern Cheyenne Reservation in the southern part of the county, which includes the communities of Ashland and Lame Deer, traditionally votes Democratic, while the northern part of the county, including Forsyth and Colstrip, vote solidly Republican. The county has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in only 4 elections since 1964, the last being 2008. The county has seen strong Republican trends in more recent elections, with Donald Trump's performances in the county in 2020 and 2024 being the strongest Republican victories there since 1952.[15]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1904 | 460 | 75.66% | 134 | 22.04% | 14 | 2.30% |
| 1908 | 515 | 66.03% | 235 | 30.13% | 30 | 3.85% |
| 1912 | 392 | 33.91% | 313 | 27.08% | 451 | 39.01% |
| 1916 | 1,337 | 43.95% | 1,608 | 52.86% | 97 | 3.19% |
| 1920 | 2,239 | 68.22% | 873 | 26.60% | 170 | 5.18% |
| 1924 | 1,115 | 49.12% | 259 | 11.41% | 896 | 39.47% |
| 1928 | 1,519 | 59.38% | 1,025 | 40.07% | 14 | 0.55% |
| 1932 | 1,027 | 36.63% | 1,646 | 58.70% | 131 | 4.67% |
| 1936 | 866 | 32.43% | 1,624 | 60.82% | 180 | 6.74% |
| 1940 | 1,252 | 46.77% | 1,399 | 52.26% | 26 | 0.97% |
| 1944 | 1,154 | 50.15% | 1,114 | 48.41% | 33 | 1.43% |
| 1948 | 1,106 | 50.71% | 1,031 | 47.27% | 44 | 2.02% |
| 1952 | 1,734 | 67.92% | 805 | 31.53% | 14 | 0.55% |
| 1956 | 1,516 | 63.01% | 890 | 36.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,386 | 57.77% | 1,002 | 41.77% | 11 | 0.46% |
| 1964 | 1,105 | 47.61% | 1,212 | 52.22% | 4 | 0.17% |
| 1968 | 1,190 | 56.42% | 711 | 33.71% | 208 | 9.86% |
| 1972 | 1,486 | 63.23% | 777 | 33.06% | 87 | 3.70% |
| 1976 | 1,538 | 51.16% | 1,413 | 47.01% | 55 | 1.83% |
| 1980 | 1,875 | 54.46% | 1,167 | 33.89% | 401 | 11.65% |
| 1984 | 2,413 | 54.82% | 1,920 | 43.62% | 69 | 1.57% |
| 1988 | 1,822 | 48.05% | 1,869 | 49.29% | 101 | 2.66% |
| 1992 | 1,130 | 28.84% | 1,669 | 42.60% | 1,119 | 28.56% |
| 1996 | 1,413 | 38.37% | 1,681 | 45.64% | 589 | 15.99% |
| 2000 | 1,826 | 53.35% | 1,394 | 40.72% | 203 | 5.93% |
| 2004 | 1,982 | 55.29% | 1,520 | 42.40% | 83 | 2.32% |
| 2008 | 1,768 | 46.40% | 1,919 | 50.37% | 123 | 3.23% |
| 2012 | 2,004 | 56.88% | 1,422 | 40.36% | 97 | 2.75% |
| 2016 | 2,253 | 65.25% | 987 | 28.58% | 213 | 6.17% |
| 2020 | 2,486 | 65.70% | 1,199 | 31.69% | 99 | 2.62% |
| 2024 | 2,466 | 66.77% | 1,095 | 29.65% | 132 | 3.57% |
Places adjacent to Rosebud County, Montana | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofRosebud County, Montana,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
