Meagher County, Montana

Meagher County, Montana
Location in the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location in the U.S.
Founded	11/16/1867
Named for	Thomas Francis Meagher
Seat	White Sulphur Springs
Largest city	White Sulphur Springs
Area
• Total	2,395 sq mi (6,203 km2)
• Land	2,392 sq mi (6,195 km2)
• Water	2.8 sq mi (7 km2), 0.1%
Population
• (2010)	1,891
• Density	0.8/sq mi (0/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	www.meaghercounty.org

Meagher County (pronounced Marr) is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,891. Its county seat is White Sulphur Springs.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 center of population of Montana is located in Meagher County at

History

Meagher County was named for Thomas Francis Meagher, territorial governor of Montana.

The first county seat was Diamond City, the main city of the Confederate Gulch mining district. This entire area is no longer part of Meagher County, but today lies in neighboring Broadwater County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,395 square miles (6,200 km²), of which 2,392 square miles (6,200 km²) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²) (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 12
• U.S. Highway 89
• U.S. Highway 12
• U.S. Highway 89

Adjacent counties

• Cascade County, Montana - north
• Judith Basin County, Montana - northeast
• Wheatland County, Montana - east
• Sweet Grass County, Montana - southeast
• Park County, Montana - south
• Gallatin County, Montana - south
• Broadwater County, Montana - west
• Lewis and Clark County, Montana - northwest

National protected areas

• Gallatin National Forest (part)
• Helena National Forest (part)
• Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,387		—
1880	2,743		97.8%
1890	4,749		73.1%
1900	2,526		−46.8%
1910	4,190		65.9%
1920	2,622		−37.4%
1930	2,272		−13.3%
1940	2,237		−1.5%
1950	2,079		−7.1%
1960	2,616		25.8%
1970	2,122		−18.9%
1980	2,154		1.5%
1990	1,819		−15.6%
2000	1,932		6.2%
2010	1,891		−2.1%
Est. 2014	1,853		−2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,932 people, 803 households, and 529 families residing in the county. The population density was <1/km² (1/sq mi). There were 1,363 housing units at an average density of <1/km² (1/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.20% White, 1.04% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.8% were of German, 14.5% Norwegian, 13.3% English, 12.4% Irish and 7.8% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 803 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 28.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $33,879. Males had a median income of $22,083 versus $15,417 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,019. About 16.40% of families and 18.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,891 people, 806 households, and 509 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.8 inhabitants per square mile (0.31/km²). There were 1,432 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.23/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.9% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.6% were German, 14.3% were Norwegian, 13.6% were Irish, 11.0% were English, 5.9% were Scotch-Irish, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 806 households, 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.8% were non-families, and 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age was 50.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,577 and the median income for a family was $40,057. Males had a median income of $30,556 versus $16,414 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,318. About 14.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• White Sulphur Springs (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Martinsdale

Unincorporated communities

• Copperopolis
• Lennep
• Minden
• Ringling
• Sixteen

See also

• List of cemeteries in Meagher County, Montana
• List of lakes in Meagher County, Montana
• Confederate Gulch and Diamond City (historically in Meagher County, but now in Broadwater County)
• List of mountains in Meagher County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Meagher County, Montana