Judith Basin County, Montana
County in Montana, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Judith Basin County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,023.[1] Its county seat is the town of Stanford.[2]
Judith Basin County, Montana | |
|---|---|
Judith Basin County Courthouse in Stanford | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Montana | |
| Coordinates: 47°02′N 110°16′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | December 10, 1920 |
| Seat | Stanford |
| Largest town | Stanford |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,871 sq mi (4,850 km2) |
| • Land | 1,870 sq mi (4,800 km2) |
| • Water | 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2) 0.04% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,023 |
• Estimate (2024) | 2,111  |
| • Density | 1/sq mi (0.39/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | jbcountymt |
| |
History
Judith Basin County was formed of area taken from western Fergus County and eastern Cascade County on December 10, 1920.[3][4] The county derives its name from the Judith River. In 1895, Yogo sapphires were discovered at Yogo Gulch, about 15 miles southwest of Utica, which at the time was in Fergus County.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,871 square miles (4,850 km2), of which 1,870 square miles (4,800 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) (0.04%) is water.[5]
Adjacent counties
- Chouteau County – north
- Fergus County – east
- Wheatland County – south
- Meagher County – south
- Cascade County – west
National protected area
City
Town
- Stanford (county seat)
- Hobson
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
- Arrow Creek
- Benchland
- Hughesville[6]
- Kolin[7]
- Lehigh[8]
- Sapphire Village
- Sipple[9]
- Spion Kop[10]
- Utica
Former town
Politics
The small county strongly leans Republican; a Democrat has not won the county in a presidential race since Lyndon Johnson's landslide win in 1964.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1924 | 888 | 41.34% | 480 | 22.35% | 780 | 36.31% |
| 1928 | 1,342 | 56.77% | 978 | 41.37% | 44 | 1.86% |
| 1932 | 720 | 33.79% | 1,280 | 60.07% | 131 | 6.15% |
| 1936 | 645 | 28.91% | 1,534 | 68.76% | 52 | 2.33% |
| 1940 | 670 | 35.02% | 1,215 | 63.51% | 28 | 1.46% |
| 1944 | 691 | 39.55% | 1,049 | 60.05% | 7 | 0.40% |
| 1948 | 609 | 36.64% | 934 | 56.20% | 119 | 7.16% |
| 1952 | 1,074 | 57.96% | 746 | 40.26% | 33 | 1.78% |
| 1956 | 789 | 48.20% | 848 | 51.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 721 | 46.10% | 842 | 53.84% | 1 | 0.06% |
| 1964 | 678 | 45.14% | 822 | 54.73% | 2 | 0.13% |
| 1968 | 804 | 53.03% | 606 | 39.97% | 106 | 6.99% |
| 1972 | 961 | 59.54% | 557 | 34.51% | 96 | 5.95% |
| 1976 | 809 | 50.12% | 772 | 47.83% | 33 | 2.04% |
| 1980 | 1,030 | 63.31% | 480 | 29.50% | 117 | 7.19% |
| 1984 | 1,050 | 67.74% | 483 | 31.16% | 17 | 1.10% |
| 1988 | 902 | 59.50% | 590 | 38.92% | 24 | 1.58% |
| 1992 | 610 | 42.16% | 409 | 28.27% | 428 | 29.58% |
| 1996 | 753 | 56.28% | 452 | 33.78% | 133 | 9.94% |
| 2000 | 1,057 | 75.82% | 278 | 19.94% | 59 | 4.23% |
| 2004 | 944 | 73.41% | 322 | 25.04% | 20 | 1.56% |
| 2008 | 801 | 64.81% | 397 | 32.12% | 38 | 3.07% |
| 2012 | 854 | 70.29% | 337 | 27.74% | 24 | 1.98% |
| 2016 | 872 | 72.19% | 235 | 19.45% | 101 | 8.36% |
| 2020 | 1,040 | 77.38% | 275 | 20.46% | 29 | 2.16% |
| 2024 | 1,051 | 77.68% | 265 | 19.59% | 37 | 2.73% |
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,023. Of the residents, 18.6% were under the age of 18 and 28.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 51.4 years. For every 100 females there were 107.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.0 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.[17][18]
The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.[19]
There were 912 households in the county, of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 18.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 1,248 housing units, of which 26.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.6% were owner-occupied and 22.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.[18]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 2,072 people, 924 households, and 600 families in the county. The population density was 1.1 inhabitants per square mile (0.42/km2). There were 1,336 housing units at an average density of 0.7 per square mile (0.27/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.9% were German, 16.7% were English, 16.1% were Irish, 10.3% were Norwegian, 6.7% were Czech, 5.0% were Danish, and 1.7% were American.
Of the 924 households, 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 48.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,473 and the median income for a family was $54,479. Males had a median income of $36,295 versus $29,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,029. About 6.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
