Yellowstone County, Montana
County in Montana, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yellowstone County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 164,731.[1] Its county seat is Billings,[2] the state's most populous city. Like the nearby national park, Yellowstone County is named after the Yellowstone River which roughly bisects the county, flowing southwest to northeast.[3] The river, in turn, was named for the yellow sandstone cliffs in what is now Yellowstone County.[4]
Yellowstone County, Montana | |
|---|---|
Yellowstone County Courthouse in Billings, 2024 | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Montana | |
| Coordinates: 45°56′N 108°16′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | February 26, 1883 |
| Named after | Yellowstone River |
| Seat | Billings |
| Largest city | Billings |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,649 sq mi (6,860 km2) |
| • Land | 2,633 sq mi (6,820 km2) |
| • Water | 16 sq mi (41 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 164,731 |
• Estimate (2024) | 171,583  |
| • Density | 62.56/sq mi (24.16/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
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Yellowstone County is included in the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,649 square miles (6,860 km2), of which 2,633 square miles (6,820 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (0.6%) is water.[5]
Major highways
Transit
- Billings Metropolitan Transit
- Express Arrow
- Jefferson Lines
Adjacent counties
- Musselshell County – north
- Rosebud County – northeast
- Treasure County – east
- Big Horn County – southeast
- Carbon County – southwest
- Stillwater County – west
- Golden Valley County – northwest
National protected areas
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,065 | — | |
| 1900 | 6,212 | 200.8% | |
| 1910 | 22,944 | 269.3% | |
| 1920 | 29,600 | 29.0% | |
| 1930 | 30,785 | 4.0% | |
| 1940 | 41,182 | 33.8% | |
| 1950 | 55,875 | 35.7% | |
| 1960 | 79,016 | 41.4% | |
| 1970 | 87,367 | 10.6% | |
| 1980 | 108,035 | 23.7% | |
| 1990 | 113,419 | 5.0% | |
| 2000 | 129,352 | 14.0% | |
| 2010 | 147,972 | 14.4% | |
| 2020 | 164,731 | 11.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 171,583 | [6] | 4.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010–2020[1] | |||
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 164,731. Of the residents, 23.2% were under the age of 18 and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males. 83.5% of residents lived in urban areas and 16.5% lived in rural areas.[11]
The racial makeup of the county was 85.0% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 4.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 1.7% from some other race, and 7.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.1% of the population.[12]
There were 67,578 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 71,804 housing units, of which 5.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.3% were owner-occupied and 33.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.[13]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 147,972 people, 60,672 households, and 38,367 families residing in the county. The population density was 56.2 inhabitants per square mile (21.7/km2). There were 63,943 housing units at an average density of 24.3 per square mile (9.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.7% white, 4.0% American Indian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.4% were German, 14.0% were Irish, 11.3% were English, 10.0% were American, and 9.9% were Norwegian.
Of the 60,672 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.8% were non-families, and 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 38.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,641 and the median income for a family was $62,380. Males had a median income of $42,899 versus $30,403 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,152. About 7.9% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Yellowstone County is very conservative for an urban county. Its voters have been reliably Republican for the better part of a century. Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 landslide was the last time that the county voted for a Democratic candidate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 479 | 53.88% | 369 | 41.51% | 41 | 4.61% |
| 1896 | 429 | 42.52% | 575 | 56.99% | 5 | 0.50% |
| 1900 | 816 | 54.51% | 654 | 43.69% | 27 | 1.80% |
| 1904 | 1,249 | 70.41% | 436 | 24.58% | 89 | 5.02% |
| 1908 | 1,803 | 56.61% | 1,114 | 34.98% | 268 | 8.41% |
| 1912 | 1,004 | 26.23% | 1,193 | 31.17% | 1,631 | 42.61% |
| 1916 | 3,281 | 42.06% | 4,259 | 54.60% | 261 | 3.35% |
| 1920 | 5,714 | 65.08% | 2,782 | 31.69% | 284 | 3.23% |
| 1924 | 4,715 | 55.91% | 1,172 | 13.90% | 2,546 | 30.19% |
| 1928 | 6,904 | 68.08% | 3,205 | 31.60% | 32 | 0.32% |
| 1932 | 5,386 | 46.90% | 5,777 | 50.31% | 320 | 2.79% |
| 1936 | 5,193 | 37.05% | 8,575 | 61.18% | 248 | 1.77% |
| 1940 | 8,479 | 48.03% | 9,036 | 51.18% | 140 | 0.79% |
| 1944 | 8,706 | 51.44% | 8,140 | 48.09% | 79 | 0.47% |
| 1948 | 10,342 | 50.74% | 9,718 | 47.67% | 324 | 1.59% |
| 1952 | 17,556 | 66.61% | 8,750 | 33.20% | 51 | 0.19% |
| 1956 | 18,664 | 64.91% | 10,088 | 35.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 19,467 | 60.82% | 12,356 | 38.61% | 183 | 0.57% |
| 1964 | 15,571 | 46.85% | 17,446 | 52.49% | 222 | 0.67% |
| 1968 | 19,898 | 58.77% | 11,682 | 34.50% | 2,277 | 6.73% |
| 1972 | 25,205 | 62.64% | 13,602 | 33.80% | 1,430 | 3.55% |
| 1976 | 25,201 | 57.11% | 18,329 | 41.54% | 595 | 1.35% |
| 1980 | 27,332 | 56.57% | 15,272 | 31.61% | 5,709 | 11.82% |
| 1984 | 34,124 | 63.01% | 19,437 | 35.89% | 592 | 1.09% |
| 1988 | 28,069 | 55.42% | 21,987 | 43.41% | 591 | 1.17% |
| 1992 | 22,822 | 40.43% | 20,163 | 35.72% | 13,465 | 23.85% |
| 1996 | 26,367 | 47.18% | 22,992 | 41.14% | 6,523 | 11.67% |
| 2000 | 33,922 | 59.00% | 20,370 | 35.43% | 3,207 | 5.58% |
| 2004 | 40,903 | 61.71% | 24,120 | 36.39% | 1,263 | 1.91% |
| 2008 | 36,483 | 51.62% | 32,038 | 45.33% | 2,158 | 3.05% |
| 2012 | 40,500 | 58.86% | 26,403 | 38.37% | 1,904 | 2.77% |
| 2016 | 40,920 | 58.05% | 22,171 | 31.45% | 7,395 | 10.49% |
| 2020 | 50,772 | 60.22% | 30,679 | 36.39% | 2,855 | 3.39% |
| 2024 | 50,460 | 62.00% | 28,392 | 34.88% | 2,541 | 3.12% |
Communities
Cities
Town
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
Ghost towns
Education
School districts include:
K-12 (unified):[21]
- Custer K-12 Schools
- Huntley Project K-12 Schools
- Lockwood K-12 Schools
High school districts:[21]
- Billings High School District
- Broadview High School District
- Laurel High School District
- Shepherd High School District
Elementary school districts:[21]
- Billings Elementary School District
- Blue Creek Elementary School District
- Broadview Elementary School District
- Canyon Creek Elementary School District
- Elder Grove Elementary School District
- Elysian Elementary School District
- Independent Elementary School District
- Laurel Elementary School District
- Molt Elementary School District
- Morin Elementary School District
- Pioneer Elementary School District
- Shepherd Elementary School District
- Yellowstone Academy Elementary School District