Musselshell County, Montana

Coordinates: 46°29′N 108°24′W / 46.49°N 108.40°W / 46.49; -108.40
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Musselshell County
The Musselshell County Courthouse in Roundup
The Musselshell County Courthouse in Roundup
Map of Montana highlighting Musselshell County
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Map of the United States highlighting Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°29′N 108°24′W / 46.49°N 108.4°W / 46.49; -108.4
Country United States
State Montana
FoundedFebruary 2, 1911[1]
SeatRoundup
Largest cityRoundup
Area
 • Total1,871 sq mi (4,850 km2)
 • Land1,868 sq mi (4,840 km2)
 • Water2.8 sq mi (7 km2)  0.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,730
 • Estimate 
(2022)
5,197 Increase
 • Density2.5/sq mi (0.98/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitemusselshellcounty.org
  • Montana county number 23

Musselshell County is a county in south-central Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,730.[3] Its county seat is Roundup.[4]

History[edit]

Musselshell County was created in 1911 by Montana Governor Edwin L. Norris. The area was taken from Fergus, from Yellowstone, and Meagher counties. It was named for the Musselshell River which runs southwest–northeast through the county. That river had been thus named in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, due to the abundance of freshwater mussels found along its banks. In 1915, a western portion of the county was partitioned off to form Golden 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 forested Bull Mountains in the southeast. The county has abundant natural resources of coal deposits, subterranean oil, and timbered slopes.[1]

Geography[edit]

According to the United 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]

Major highways[edit]

Adjacent counties[edit]

National protected area[edit]

Politics[edit]

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.

United States presidential election results for Musselshell County, Montana[6][7]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 2,423 84.10% 413 14.34% 45 1.56%
2016 1,967 80.58% 332 13.60% 142 5.82%
2012 1,833 76.15% 492 20.44% 82 3.41%
2008 1,581 68.56% 636 27.58% 89 3.86%
2004 1,663 74.01% 538 23.94% 46 2.05%
2000 1,582 71.68% 512 23.20% 113 5.12%
1996 1,121 54.00% 652 31.41% 303 14.60%
1992 876 39.32% 648 29.08% 704 31.60%
1988 1,280 58.08% 898 40.74% 26 1.18%
1984 1,541 65.32% 781 33.11% 37 1.57%
1980 1,279 58.03% 784 35.57% 141 6.40%
1976 1,117 54.09% 922 44.65% 26 1.26%
1972 1,202 61.11% 689 35.03% 76 3.86%
1968 953 51.15% 795 42.67% 115 6.17%
1964 823 40.90% 1,189 59.10% 0 0.00%
1960 1,107 50.09% 1,100 49.77% 3 0.14%
1956 1,165 51.10% 1,115 48.90% 0 0.00%
1952 1,253 50.08% 1,240 49.56% 9 0.36%
1948 1,010 40.46% 1,188 47.60% 298 11.94%
1944 1,004 42.27% 1,342 56.51% 29 1.22%
1940 1,086 36.79% 1,807 61.21% 59 2.00%
1936 771 25.58% 2,092 69.41% 151 5.01%
1932 1,021 35.95% 1,584 55.77% 235 8.27%
1928 1,608 50.55% 1,444 45.39% 129 4.06%
1924 1,488 45.55% 247 7.56% 1,532 46.89%
1920 1,910 59.22% 951 29.49% 364 11.29%
1916 1,738 42.92% 2,036 50.28% 275 6.79%
1912 483 30.80% 470 29.97% 615 39.22%

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
192012,030
19307,242−39.8%
19405,717−21.1%
19505,408−5.4%
19604,888−9.6%
19703,734−23.6%
19804,42818.6%
19904,106−7.3%
20004,4979.5%
20104,5380.9%
20204,7304.2%
2022 (est.)5,197[8]9.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790–1960,[10] 1900–1990,[11]
1990–2000,[12] 2010–2020[3]

2020 census[edit]

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,730 people living in the county.[citation needed]

2010 census[edit]

As of the 2010 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% were German, 16.5% were English, 16.1% were Irish, 7.6% were Norwegian, and 7.0% were American.

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 the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities[edit]

City[edit]

Town[edit]

Unincorporated communities[edit]

Census-designated places[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b About Musselshell County
  2. ^ The NaCo site lists county area as 1,871 sq. miles; the Census Bureau site lists 1,867.15; the Musselshell County website shows 1,965.
  3. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  6. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  7. ^ The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 400 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 215 votes.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  13. ^ Delphia MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
  14. ^ Elso, MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)
  15. ^ Queens Point MT Google Maps (accessed January 4, 2019)

External links[edit]

46°29′N 108°24′W / 46.49°N 108.40°W / 46.49; -108.40