Jefferson County, Montana

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1659 sqmi, of which 1656 sqmi is land and 2.6 sqmi (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-15.svg|20px]] Interstate 15
• [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]] Interstate 90
• [[Image:US 12.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 12
• [[Image:US 287.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 287
• [[Image:MT-2.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 2
• [[Image:MT-41.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 41
• [[Image:MT-55.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 55
• [[Image:MT-69.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 69

Adjacent counties

• Lewis and Clark County - north
• Broadwater County - east
• Gallatin County - southeast
• Madison County - south
• Silver Bow County - west
• Deer Lodge County - west
• Powell County - northwest

National protected areas

• Deerlodge National Forest (part)
• Helena National Forest (part)

Politics

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960, 1900–1990, 1990–2000, 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 12,085 people living in the county. Of the residents, 20.8% were under the age of 18 and 24.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 49.2 years. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.8 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas. The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 1.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.8% from some other race, and 6.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population. There were 4,894 households in the county, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 16.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 5,375 housing units, of which 8.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 85.2% were owner-occupied and 14.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,406 people, 4,512 households, and 3,301 families residing in the county. The population density was 6.9 PD/sqmi. There were 5,055 housing units at an average density of 3.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 1.4% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.3% were German, 19.1% were Irish, 17.2% were English, 10.8% were Norwegian, and 4.2% were American.

Of the 4,512 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.8% were non-families, and 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 46.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,695 and the median income for a family was $67,195. Males had a median income of $50,978 versus $34,148 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,437. About 2.7% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

• Boulder (county seat)
• Whitehall

Census-designated places

• Basin
• Cardwell
• Clancy (includes Alhambra)
• Elkhorn
• Jefferson City
• Montana City
• Rader Creek
• South Hills

Unincorporated communities

• Amazon
• Bernice
• Corbin
• Elk Park
• Homestake
• Leadville
• La Hood Park
• Louisville
• Pappas Place
• Paul Place
• Piedmont
• Pipestone
• Renova

Former communities

• Comet
• Wickes

Education

Whitehall Public Schools has two components: Whitehall Elementary School District and Whitehall High School District.

High school districts include Jefferson High School District and Whitehall High School District.

Elementary school districts include:

• Basin Elementary School District
• Boulder Elementary School District
• Cardwell Elementary School District
• Clancy Elementary School District
• Montana City Elementary School District
• Three Forks Elementary School District
• Whitehall Elementary School District
• Willow Creek Elementary School District

References

References

1. "Montana County Formation Table".
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. "Montana Place Names Companion". Montana Historical Society Research Center.
5. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
6. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
7. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
8. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau.
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
16. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Amazon,+MT+59632/@46.3202061,-112.1159772,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b458cdbd0cbfd:0x6de02ad4a96e3688!8m2!3d46.320207!4d-112.1072224 ''Amazon, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
17. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bernice,+MT+59631/@46.2577056,-112.345991,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b6985d0b7ed2b:0x8a93c26a6e88e64d!8m2!3d46.2577065!4d-112.3372362 ''Bernice, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
18. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Elk+Park,+MT+59701/@46.1649271,-112.3809919,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b6cccaa4f0f9f:0xa884d424a1cae30b!8m2!3d46.164928!4d-112.3722371 ''Elk Park, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
19. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Homestake,+MT+59701/@45.9232588,-112.4196015,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b06c9af91313f:0xd1e3b949ab5e853b!8m2!3d45.9232597!4d-112.4108467 ''Homestake, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
20. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Leadville,+MT+59631/@46.3143723,-112.5518375,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b651414ce83e3:0xc2f67c386c96eea6!8m2!3d46.3143732!4d-112.5430827 ''Leadville, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
21. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/La+Hood+Park,+MT+59759/@45.8529817,-111.9309632,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535adddecdb9d673:0x66424ca59c35d72d!8m2!3d45.8529826!4d-111.9222084 ''La Hood Park, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
22. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Louisville,+MT+59635/@46.5627109,-111.8045714,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5344a62cc68d492b:0x5256595968b7188a!8m2!3d46.5627118!4d-111.7958166 ''Louisville, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
23. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pappas+Place,+MT+59701/@45.9713146,-112.3676546,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b05aa3cc2eb3b:0xb2c8ecb42edf73a2!8m2!3d45.9713155!4d-112.3588998 ''Pappas Place, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
24. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Paul+Place,+MT+59632/@45.978537,-112.2648702,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b1b0550fe12e5:0x4a384ac51eba9dfc!8m2!3d45.9785378!4d-112.2561154 ''Paul Place, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
25. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Piedmont,+MT+59759/@45.8357589,-112.1429167,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535ae30c8a0061c3:0x7cd8f8374f0de7ba!8m2!3d45.8357598!4d-112.1341619 ''Piedmont, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
26. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pipestone,+MT+59759/@45.8965924,-112.2401449,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535b1d34f66a2847:0x4c1d690fd70793e8!8m2!3d45.8965933!4d-112.2313901 ''Pipestone, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
27. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Renova,+MT+59759/@45.8154812,-112.1365272,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x535ae36263b123af:0x4bd2ae67ab5ee0c1!8m2!3d45.815482!4d-112.1277724 ''Renova, Jefferson County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)]
28. (2024-03-13). "Directory of Montana Schools". [[Montana Office of Public Instruction]].
29. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jefferson County, MT". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].