Wibaux County, Montana | |
|---|---|
 Wibaux County Courthouse in Wibaux | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMontana | |
 Montana's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:46°58′N104°15′W / 46.96°N 104.25°W /46.96; -104.25 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | August 17, 1914[1] |
| Named after | Pierre Wibaux |
| Seat | Wibaux |
| Largest town | Wibaux |
| Area | |
• Total | 890 sq mi (2,300 km2) |
| • Land | 889 sq mi (2,300 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) 0.07% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 937 |
• Estimate (2024) | 911 |
| • Density | 1.05/sq mi (0.407/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| |
Wibaux County (/ˈwiːboʊ/WEE-boh) is acounty in theU.S. state ofMontana. As of the2020 census, the population was 937,[2] making it the fourth-least populous county in Montana. Itscounty seat isWibaux.[3]
Wibaux County was created by theMontana Legislature in 1914 from parts ofDawson,Fallon, andRichland Counties. The name comes fromPierre Wibaux (1858–1913),[4] a late 19th-centurycattle baron and friend ofTheodore Roosevelt whose ranch was just over the border (inDakota Territory, laterNorth Dakota). According to legend, Pierre Wibaux's cowboys surrounded the town of Mingusville, and wouldn't let anyone enter or leave town unless they signed a petition changing the name of the town to Wibaux. Upon his death, his ashes were spread over a hill west of Wibaux. Today, a statue of Pierre Wibaux stands on that hill.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 890 square miles (2,300 km2), of which 889 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.07%) is water.[5] It is the third-smallest county in Montana by land area.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 3,113 | — | |
| 1930 | 2,767 | −11.1% | |
| 1940 | 2,161 | −21.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,907 | −11.8% | |
| 1960 | 1,698 | −11.0% | |
| 1970 | 1,465 | −13.7% | |
| 1980 | 1,476 | 0.8% | |
| 1990 | 1,191 | −19.3% | |
| 2000 | 1,068 | −10.3% | |
| 2010 | 1,017 | −4.8% | |
| 2020 | 937 | −7.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 911 | [6] | −2.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960,[8] 1900–1990,[9] 1990–2000,[10] 2010–2020[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 937 people living in the county.[citation needed]
As of the2010 census, there were 1,017 people, 457 households, and 281 families in the county. The population density was 1.1 inhabitants per square mile (0.42/km2). There were 538 housing units at an average density of 0.6 units per square mile (0.23/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46.3% wereGerman, 13.7% werePolish, 13.4% wereIrish, 12.1% wereAmerican, 9.5% wereEnglish, 8.0% wereNorwegian, and 5.3% wereDutch.
Of the 457 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.5% were non-families, and 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 49.0 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,417 and the median income for a family was $51,354. Males had a median income of $43,438 versus $24,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,579. About 7.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
Wibaux County voters are reliably Republican. Since 1964 they have selected the Democratic Party candidate in only one national election (as of 2020).
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1916 | 466 | 42.13% | 585 | 52.89% | 55 | 4.97% |
| 1920 | 692 | 71.64% | 223 | 23.08% | 51 | 5.28% |
| 1924 | 505 | 56.93% | 189 | 21.31% | 193 | 21.76% |
| 1928 | 583 | 56.27% | 448 | 43.24% | 5 | 0.48% |
| 1932 | 445 | 35.54% | 798 | 63.74% | 9 | 0.72% |
| 1936 | 362 | 31.18% | 790 | 68.04% | 9 | 0.78% |
| 1940 | 461 | 44.20% | 576 | 55.23% | 6 | 0.58% |
| 1944 | 432 | 50.29% | 425 | 49.48% | 2 | 0.23% |
| 1948 | 421 | 46.52% | 471 | 52.04% | 13 | 1.44% |
| 1952 | 556 | 62.82% | 324 | 36.61% | 5 | 0.56% |
| 1956 | 431 | 52.50% | 390 | 47.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 387 | 48.01% | 419 | 51.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 308 | 41.79% | 427 | 57.94% | 2 | 0.27% |
| 1968 | 347 | 52.98% | 252 | 38.47% | 56 | 8.55% |
| 1972 | 390 | 55.48% | 283 | 40.26% | 30 | 4.27% |
| 1976 | 308 | 44.57% | 352 | 50.94% | 31 | 4.49% |
| 1980 | 450 | 61.56% | 219 | 29.96% | 62 | 8.48% |
| 1984 | 423 | 64.98% | 216 | 33.18% | 12 | 1.84% |
| 1988 | 358 | 56.92% | 258 | 41.02% | 13 | 2.07% |
| 1992 | 234 | 38.55% | 195 | 32.13% | 178 | 29.32% |
| 1996 | 284 | 46.33% | 197 | 32.14% | 132 | 21.53% |
| 2000 | 369 | 71.24% | 121 | 23.36% | 28 | 5.41% |
| 2004 | 407 | 72.68% | 144 | 25.71% | 9 | 1.61% |
| 2008 | 379 | 67.32% | 146 | 25.93% | 38 | 6.75% |
| 2012 | 421 | 77.39% | 98 | 18.01% | 25 | 4.60% |
| 2016 | 463 | 85.58% | 55 | 10.17% | 23 | 4.25% |
| 2020 | 516 | 86.29% | 77 | 12.88% | 5 | 0.84% |
| 2024 | 463 | 84.80% | 71 | 13.00% | 12 | 2.20% |
Places adjacent to Wibaux County, Montana | |
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Municipalities and communities ofWibaux County, Montana,United States | ||
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| Town |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
