County in Montana
| Garfield County | |
|---|---|
| County | |
 Garfield County Courthouse in Jordan | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Montana | |
 Montana's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 47°17′N 106°59′W / 47.28°N 106.99°W / 47.28; -106.99 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Montana |
| Founded | February 7, 1919 |
| Seat | Jordan |
| Largest town | Jordan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,847 sq mi (12,550 km) |
| • Land | 4,675 sq mi (12,110 km) |
| • Water | 172 sq mi (450 km) 3.6% |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,173 |
| • Estimate | 1,218  |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
| |
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,173. Its county seat is Jordan. Garfield County is noteworthy as the site of the discovery and excavation of four of the world's dozen or so major specimens (as of 1994) of Tyrannosaurus rex. A cast of the skull of one of these dinosaurs is on display at the Garfield County Museum.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,847 square miles (12,550 km), of which 4,675 square miles (12,110 km) is land and 172 square miles (450 km) (3.6%) is water. Its average population density of 0.1058 inhabitants per square kilometre (0.274 inhabitants/sq mi) is the third-lowest of any county outside of Alaska (behind Loving County, Texas and Esmeralda County, Nevada).
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Phillips County – northwest
- Valley County – north
- McCone County – east
- Prairie County – east
- Custer County – southeast
- Rosebud County – south
- Petroleum County – west
National protected area
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 5,368 | — | |
| 1930 | 4,252 | −20.8% | |
| 1940 | 2,641 | −37.9% | |
| 1950 | 2,172 | −17.8% | |
| 1960 | 1,981 | −8.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,796 | −9.3% | |
| 1980 | 1,656 | −7.8% | |
| 1990 | 1,589 | −4.0% | |
| 2000 | 1,279 | −19.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,206 | −5.7% | |
| 2020 | 1,173 | −2.7% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 1,218 | 3.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960, 1900–1990, 1990–2000, 2010–2020 | |||
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 1,173 people living in the county.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 1,206 people, 532 households, and 347 families living in the county. The population density was 0.3 inhabitants per square mile (0.12/km). There were 844 housing units at an average density of 0.2 per square mile (0.077/km). The racial makeup of the county was 98.6% white, 0.4% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.3% were German, 16.9% were Irish, 15.0% were Norwegian, 13.3% were English, 10.5% were American, 8.1% were Swedish, and 7.4% were Scottish.
Of the 532 households, 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.8% were non-families, and 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 46.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,955 and the median income for a family was $54,375. Males had a median income of $37,813 versus $19,286 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,424. About 8.1% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Like all of the High Plains outside of Native American counties, Garfield is an overwhelmingly Republican county. It has been the most Republican county in Montana since the 2004 United States presidential election.
The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, and in the last eight Presidential elections no Democratic candidate has managed to receive more than 15.1 percent. In the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections, Garfield was the only county in Montana to give over 90% of the vote to the Republican nominee, namely Donald Trump.
Garfield County is also Republican at the local level. Democratic governor Brian Schweitzer never received more than 37 percent of the county's vote and no Democratic gubernatorial candidate has carried the county since Ted Schwinden in 1984. As part of the 15th district of the Montana Senate, the county is represented by Republican Jim Peterson and as part of the 30th district of the Montana House of Representatives it is represented by Republican Dave Kasten.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 756 | 94.50% | 39 | 4.88% | 5 | 0.63% |
| 2020 | 764 | 93.97% | 41 | 5.04% | 8 | 0.98% |
| 2016 | 653 | 90.95% | 34 | 4.74% | 31 | 4.32% |
| 2012 | 622 | 88.73% | 66 | 9.42% | 13 | 1.85% |
| 2008 | 598 | 82.26% | 110 | 15.13% | 19 | 2.61% |
| 2004 | 590 | 90.08% | 52 | 7.94% | 13 | 1.98% |
| 2000 | 651 | 87.50% | 61 | 8.20% | 32 | 4.30% |
| 1996 | 562 | 75.34% | 107 | 14.34% | 77 | 10.32% |
| 1992 | 403 | 49.21% | 125 | 15.26% | 291 | 35.53% |
| 1988 | 631 | 74.15% | 196 | 23.03% | 24 | 2.82% |
| 1984 | 770 | 84.52% | 134 | 14.71% | 7 | 0.77% |
| 1980 | 760 | 78.03% | 169 | 17.35% | 45 | 4.62% |
| 1976 | 625 | 67.79% | 273 | 29.61% | 24 | 2.60% |
| 1972 | 695 | 77.83% | 173 | 19.37% | 25 | 2.80% |
| 1968 | 542 | 64.22% | 190 | 22.51% | 112 | 13.27% |
| 1964 | 509 | 56.81% | 384 | 42.86% | 3 | 0.33% |
| 1960 | 515 | 58.52% | 363 | 41.25% | 2 | 0.23% |
| 1956 | 558 | 56.82% | 424 | 43.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 723 | 72.74% | 269 | 27.06% | 2 | 0.20% |
| 1948 | 501 | 51.49% | 451 | 46.35% | 21 | 2.16% |
| 1944 | 553 | 53.53% | 478 | 46.27% | 2 | 0.19% |
| 1940 | 625 | 49.17% | 644 | 50.67% | 2 | 0.16% |
| 1936 | 548 | 34.75% | 991 | 62.84% | 38 | 2.41% |
| 1932 | 678 | 37.98% | 1,044 | 58.49% | 63 | 3.53% |
| 1928 | 1,176 | 69.67% | 499 | 29.56% | 13 | 0.77% |
| 1924 | 876 | 50.55% | 355 | 20.48% | 502 | 28.97% |
| 1920 | 1,226 | 68.19% | 484 | 26.92% | 88 | 4.89% |
Communities
Town
- Jordan (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
- Benzien
- Big Dry
- Brusett
- Cohagen
- Haxby
- Hillside
- Mosby
- Sand Springs
- Tindall
See also
- List of lakes in Garfield County, Montana
- List of mountains in Garfield County, Montana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Garfield County MT
References
- County Timeline Genealogy Trails
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- David Quammen, "Local Bird Makes Good" (1995), collected in The Boilerplate Rhino (2000), ISBN 0-684-83728-5
- "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- Geographie Electorale
- The New York Times electoral map (Zoom in on Montana)
- David Leip US Election Atlas
- Montana legislative site
- Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- Benzien, Garfield County MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
- Brusett Post Office, Garfield County MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
- Haxby, Garfield County MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
- Hillside, Garfield County MT Google Maps (accessed January 2, 2019)
- Histopolis: Tindall, Garfield County, Montana, United States. Accessed July 23, 2021.
External links
| Places adjacent to Garfield County, Montana | ||||||||||||||||
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Garfield County, Montana
| Municipalities and communities of Garfield County, Montana, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Jordan | ||
| Town |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
47°17′N 106°59′W / 47.28°N 106.99°W / 47.28; -106.99
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