Richland County, Montana

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2103 sqmi, of which 2084 sqmi is land and 19 sqmi (0.9%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:MT-16.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 16
• [[Image:MT-23.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 23
• [[Image:MT-200.svg|20px]] Montana Highway 200

Adjacent counties

• Roosevelt County – north
• Williams County, North Dakota – northeast
• McKenzie County, North Dakota – east
• Wibaux County - south
• Dawson County – southwest
• McCone County - west

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,491. Of the residents, 24.5% were under the age of 18 and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.4 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.8 males. 56.8% of residents lived in urban areas and 43.2% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 88.0% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 1.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, 1.8% from some other race, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.3% of the population.

There were 4,827 households in the county, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5,566 housing units, of which 13.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 65.1% were owner-occupied and 34.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 9,746 people, 4,167 households, and 2,698 families in the county. The population density was 4.7 PD/sqmi. There were 4,550 housing units at an average density of 2.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.0% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 37.8% were German, 23.1% were Norwegian, 13.0% were Irish, 8.7% were American, and 6.5% were English.

Of the 4,167 households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.3% were non-families, and 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 41.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $52,516 and the median income for a family was $60,236. Males had a median income of $44,788 versus $23,135 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,888. About 10.2% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Although most of the surface land of the county is devoted to ranching, oil exploration and production became important elements of the county's economy beginning with the discovery in 2000 of Elm Coulee Oil Field, part of the Bakken formation.

Politics

Richland County voters have been reliably Republican, opting only one time for the Democratic Party candidate in national elections since 1948 (as of 2020).

Communities

City

• Sidney (county seat)

Town

• Fairview

Census-designated places

• Crane
• Fox Lake
• Savage

Other unincorporated places

• Andes
• Enid
• Lambert
• Ludington
• Girard
• Nohly
• Ridgelawn
• Sioux Pass

References

References

1. Greenfield, Chas.. (1920). "Resources of Montana". Montana. Dept. of Agriculture, Labor, and Industry.
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. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
14. Browning, Gil. "Montana’s Vast Untapped Oil Reserves".
15. Leip, David. "US Presidential Elections".
16. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Andes,+MT+59218/@47.9555729,-104.5575991,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53239d2b9d9a143d:0xe7ff222d2d81d387!8m2!3d47.9555738!4d-104.5488443 ''Andes MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
17. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Enid,+MT+59259/@47.6955707,-104.7884406,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x53249ca46632d963:0x13bd40358a66ece0!2sRichland+County,+MT!3b1!8m2!3d47.9200496!4d-104.8017491!3m4!1s0x53249c1a076d5801:0xe2268e436fbe1fc3!8m2!3d47.695552!4d-104.7797012 ''Enid MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
18. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nohly,+MT+59221/@47.9955747,-104.1006353,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x5323f2148344de0b:0x8ccac17223af985b!8m2!3d47.9955755!4d-104.0918805 ''Nohly MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
19. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ridgelawn,+MT+59221/@47.7758502,-104.0927184,11.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x532474c866ebc189:0x33e05eaa5594a962!8m2!3d47.7919621!4d-104.0863229 ''Ridgelawn MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]
20. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sioux+Pass,+MT+59221/@47.9225173,-104.3345339,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53238f15df4ba021:0xea21c64e244abed8!8m2!3d47.9225182!4d-104.3257791 ''Sioux Pass MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 5, 2019)]