| Carbon County, Montana | |
Location in the state of Montana |
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Montana's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1895 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Red Lodge |
| Largest city | Red Lodge |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,062 sq mi (5,341 km²) 2,048 sq mi (5,304 km²) 14 sq mi (36 km²), 0.69% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
10,078 5/sq mi (2/km²) |
| Website | www.co.carbon.mt.us |
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 10,078[1]. Its county seat is Red Lodge.[2]
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Carbon County was named for the rich coal deposits found in the area. Land from Park and Yellowstone counties was used to form Carbon County on March 4, 1895.[3]
The first commercial oil well in the state was established in Elk Basin fields in 1915.[4]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,062 square miles (5,340.6 km2), of which 2,048 square miles (5,304.3 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36.3 km2) (0.69%) is water.
Granite Peak, the highest mountain in Montana, is found in the Beartooth Mountains. The Beartooth Highway, one of the "most spectacular alpine highways"[5], links Red Lodge to Cooke City. The Pryor Mountains are in the east of the county, along with the Big Horn River.
| Stillwater County | Yellowstone County | |||
| Park County | Big Horn County | |||
| Carbon County, Montana | ||||
| Park County, Wyoming | Big Horn County, Wyoming |
During the early history of Carbon County, coal mining was the predominant industry. The current economy relies on agriculture, recreation, and tourism.[6]
In 2009 the top employers were Beartooth Hospital & Health Center, Red Lodge Mountain Resort, and the Red Lodge Pizza Company.[6]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 7,533 |
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| 1910 | 13,962 | 85.3% | |
| 1920 | 15,279 | 9.4% | |
| 1930 | 12,571 | −17.7% | |
| 1940 | 11,865 | −5.6% | |
| 1950 | 10,241 | −13.7% | |
| 1960 | 8,317 | −18.8% | |
| 1970 | 7,080 | −14.9% | |
| 1980 | 8,099 | 14.4% | |
| 1990 | 8,080 | −0.2% | |
| 2000 | 9,552 | 18.2% | |
| 2010 | 10,078 | 5.5% | |
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 9,552 people, 4,065 households, and 2,707 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 5,494 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.07% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.65% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 1.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.8% were of German, 11.5% English, 9.2% Irish, 8.9% Norwegian, 5.9% American and 5.2% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 4,065 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 6.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 27.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,139, and the median income for a family was $38,405. Males had a median income of $30,226 versus $19,945 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,204. About 8.20% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
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