Valley County, Montana | |
|---|---|
 Valley County Courthouse in Glasgow | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
 Montana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:48°22′N106°40′W / 48.36°N 106.66°W /48.36; -106.66 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Seat | Glasgow |
| Largest city | Glasgow |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,062 sq mi (13,110 km2) |
| • Land | 4,926 sq mi (12,760 km2) |
| • Water | 136 sq mi (350 km2) 2.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,578 |
• Estimate (2024) | 7,434 |
| • Density | 1.538/sq mi (0.5940/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
| |
Valley County is acounty in theU.S. state ofMontana. Valley County was created in 1893 with area partitioned fromDawson County.[1] As of the2020 census, the population was 7,578.[2] Itscounty seat isGlasgow.[3] It is located on theCanada–United States border withSaskatchewan.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,062 square miles (13,110 km2), of which 4,926 square miles (12,760 km2) is land and 136 square miles (350 km2) (2.7%) is water.[4] It is Montana's fourth-largest county by total area.
U.S. Highway 2
Montana Highway 24
Montana Highway 42
Montana Highway 117
Montana Secondary Highway 248Glasgow and the greater Valley County region are served by a non-profit taxi/bus service called Valley Country Transit.[5]
Agriculture is the major economic activity of Valley County. The US Air Force operatedGlasgow Air Force Base at St. Marie until 1976, which was a strong influence on the local economy until its closure.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 4,355 | — | |
| 1910 | 13,630 | 213.0% | |
| 1920 | 11,542 | −15.3% | |
| 1930 | 11,181 | −3.1% | |
| 1940 | 15,181 | 35.8% | |
| 1950 | 11,353 | −25.2% | |
| 1960 | 17,080 | 50.4% | |
| 1970 | 11,471 | −32.8% | |
| 1980 | 10,250 | −10.6% | |
| 1990 | 8,239 | −19.6% | |
| 2000 | 7,675 | −6.8% | |
| 2010 | 7,369 | −4.0% | |
| 2020 | 7,578 | 2.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 7,434 | [6] | −1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960,[8] 1900–1990,[9] 1990–2000,[10] 2010–2020[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 7,578 people living in the county.[citation needed]
As of the2010 census, there were 7,369 people, 3,198 households, and 1,997 families living in the county. The population density was 1.5 inhabitants per square mile (0.58/km2). There were 4,879 housing units at an average density of 1.0 units per square mile (0.39/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 9.8% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.4% wereGerman, 27.9% wereNorwegian, 12.4% wereIrish, 10.3% wereEnglish, and 6.8% wereAmerican.
Of the 3,198 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 33.4% 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 46.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,050 and the median income for a family was $54,096. Males had a median income of $40,802 versus $30,272 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,305. About 5.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Valley County voters vote reliably Republican in national elections. Since 1964, they have selected the Democratic Party candidate only once (1992, due to strong showing by third-party candidateRoss Perot, which split the Republican voters).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1904 | 742 | 67.70% | 335 | 30.57% | 19 | 1.73% |
| 1908 | 843 | 59.12% | 503 | 35.27% | 80 | 5.61% |
| 1912 | 668 | 25.84% | 696 | 26.92% | 1,221 | 47.23% |
| 1916 | 1,111 | 32.28% | 2,102 | 61.07% | 229 | 6.65% |
| 1920 | 2,096 | 62.89% | 895 | 26.85% | 342 | 10.26% |
| 1924 | 1,555 | 51.10% | 497 | 16.33% | 991 | 32.57% |
| 1928 | 2,330 | 63.85% | 1,294 | 35.46% | 25 | 0.69% |
| 1932 | 1,242 | 30.35% | 2,499 | 61.07% | 351 | 8.58% |
| 1936 | 996 | 14.11% | 5,862 | 83.07% | 199 | 2.82% |
| 1940 | 1,597 | 30.94% | 3,493 | 67.67% | 72 | 1.39% |
| 1944 | 1,341 | 37.44% | 2,196 | 61.31% | 45 | 1.26% |
| 1948 | 1,375 | 33.45% | 2,535 | 61.68% | 200 | 4.87% |
| 1952 | 2,462 | 53.28% | 2,130 | 46.09% | 29 | 0.63% |
| 1956 | 2,357 | 48.42% | 2,511 | 51.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,387 | 44.65% | 2,953 | 55.24% | 6 | 0.11% |
| 1964 | 2,077 | 40.53% | 3,032 | 59.16% | 16 | 0.31% |
| 1968 | 2,290 | 49.44% | 1,926 | 41.58% | 416 | 8.98% |
| 1972 | 3,210 | 60.02% | 1,973 | 36.89% | 165 | 3.09% |
| 1976 | 2,520 | 50.82% | 2,352 | 47.43% | 87 | 1.75% |
| 1980 | 3,242 | 62.47% | 1,567 | 30.19% | 381 | 7.34% |
| 1984 | 3,123 | 61.89% | 1,849 | 36.64% | 74 | 1.47% |
| 1988 | 2,467 | 52.42% | 2,163 | 45.96% | 76 | 1.61% |
| 1992 | 1,497 | 32.77% | 1,715 | 37.54% | 1,356 | 29.68% |
| 1996 | 1,838 | 43.69% | 1,674 | 39.79% | 695 | 16.52% |
| 2000 | 2,500 | 63.08% | 1,273 | 32.12% | 190 | 4.79% |
| 2004 | 2,476 | 61.62% | 1,431 | 35.61% | 111 | 2.76% |
| 2008 | 2,121 | 54.23% | 1,645 | 42.06% | 145 | 3.71% |
| 2012 | 2,337 | 60.56% | 1,385 | 35.89% | 137 | 3.55% |
| 2016 | 2,698 | 69.29% | 886 | 22.75% | 310 | 7.96% |
| 2020 | 3,135 | 73.57% | 1,030 | 24.17% | 96 | 2.25% |
| 2024 | 3,019 | 74.01% | 935 | 22.92% | 125 | 3.06% |
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Places adjacent to Valley County, Montana | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofValley County, Montana,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
