kids encyclopedia robot

Richland County, Montana facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Richland County
Richland County Courthouse in Sidney
Richland County Courthouse in Sidney
Map of Montana highlighting Richland County
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Map of the United States highlighting Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Montana
Founded May 27, 1914
Seat Sidney
Largest city Sidney
Area
 • Total 2,103 sq mi (5,450 km2)
 • Land 2,084 sq mi (5,400 km2)
 • Water 19 sq mi (50 km2)  0.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 11,491
 • Density 5.4641/sq mi (2.1097/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district At-large
  • Montana county number 27

Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 11,491. Its county seat is Sidney.

Richland County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1914 from part of Dawson County. An early proposed name for the county was Gate, but Richland was decided upon instead as a way to entice new settlers.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,103 square miles (5,450 km2), of which 2,084 square miles (5,400 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (0.9%) is water.

Major highways

  • MT-16.svg Montana Highway 16
  • MT-23.svg Montana Highway 23
  • MT-200.svg Montana Highway 200

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 8,989
1930 9,633 7.2%
1940 10,209 6.0%
1950 10,366 1.5%
1960 10,504 1.3%
1970 9,837 −6.3%
1980 12,243 24.5%
1990 10,716 −12.5%
2000 9,667 −9.8%
2010 9,746 0.8%
2020 11,491 17.9%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,746 people, 4,167 households, and 2,698 families in the county. The population density was 4.7 inhabitants per square mile (1.8/km2). There were 4,550 housing units at an average density of 2.2 per square mile (0.85/km2). 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.

Communities

City

Town

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

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.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Richland (Montana) para niños

kids search engine
Richland County, Montana Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.