Golden Valley County, Montana

Golden Valley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 823,^[2] making it the third-least populous county in Montana. Its county seat is Ryegate.^[3]

Golden Valley County
County
Golden Valley County Courthouse in Ryegate, Montana
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°23′N 109°10′W
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	March 8, 1920[1]
Seat	Ryegate
Largest town	Ryegate
Area
• Total	1,176 sq mi (3,050 km2)
• Land	1,175 sq mi (3,040 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (3 km2)  0.08%
Population  (2020)
• Total	823
• Estimate  (2024)	863
• Density	0.70/sq mi (0.27/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.goldenvalleycountymt.org
Montana county number 53

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,176 square miles (3,050 km²), of which 1,175 square miles (3,040 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.08%) is water.^[4] It is Montana's fifth-smallest county by area.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 12
• Montana Highway 3

Adjacent counties

• Fergus County – north
• Musselshell County – east
• Yellowstone County – southeast
• Stillwater County – south
• Sweet Grass County – southwest
• Wheatland County – west

National protected area

• Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)

Politics

The county has usually favored Republican candidates. The 2016 Democratic candidate only received 71 county votes, the lowest ever for a major party in the county in a presidential election. The last Democrat to win there was Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide victory.

United States presidential election results for Golden Valley County, Montana^[5]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	440	85.44%	67	13.01%	8	1.55%
2020	414	82.31%	78	15.51%	11	2.19%
2016	365	77.00%	71	14.98%	38	8.02%
2012	351	73.28%	110	22.96%	18	3.76%
2008	343	69.72%	124	25.20%	25	5.08%
2004	396	75.86%	119	22.80%	7	1.34%
2000	405	76.27%	88	16.57%	38	7.16%
1996	284	58.20%	128	26.23%	76	15.57%
1992	192	38.71%	142	28.63%	162	32.66%
1988	335	61.69%	203	37.38%	5	0.92%
1984	384	64.00%	211	35.17%	5	0.83%
1980	362	65.11%	155	27.88%	39	7.01%
1976	302	53.08%	255	44.82%	12	2.11%
1972	359	64.92%	170	30.74%	24	4.34%
1968	332	60.04%	194	35.08%	27	4.88%
1964	252	41.72%	352	58.28%	0	0.00%
1960	362	56.65%	277	43.35%	0	0.00%
1956	383	59.94%	256	40.06%	0	0.00%
1952	471	70.40%	198	29.60%	0	0.00%
1948	352	53.09%	295	44.49%	16	2.41%
1944	395	59.67%	266	40.18%	1	0.15%
1940	402	52.96%	351	46.25%	6	0.79%
1936	331	40.32%	474	57.73%	16	1.95%
1932	423	46.38%	469	51.43%	20	2.19%
1928	625	63.91%	346	35.38%	7	0.72%
1924	422	37.88%	118	10.59%	574	51.53%
1920	1,185	72.57%	381	23.33%	67	4.10%

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	2,126		—
1940	1,607		−24.4%
1950	1,337		−16.8%
1960	1,203		−10.0%
1970	931		−22.6%
1980	1,026		10.2%
1990	912		−11.1%
2000	1,042		14.3%
2010	884		−15.2%
2020	823		−6.9%
2024 (est.)	863	[6]	4.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010–2020[2]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 823 people living in the county.^{[citation needed]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 884 people, 363 households, and 239 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.8 inhabitants per square mile (0.31/km²). There were 476 housing units at an average density of 0.4 per square mile (0.15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% white, 1.0% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.9% were German, 19.5% were English, 18.4% were Irish, 10.1% were Polish, 9.0% were American, 7.3% were Danish, 6.4% were Dutch, and 6.2% were Norwegian.

Of the 363 households, 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.2% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.68. The median age was 48.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,726 and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $27,938 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,319. About 3.4% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

• Lavina
• Ryegate (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Golden Valley Colony

Unincorporated communities

• Barber^[11]
• Belmont^[12]
• Franklin^[13]
• Lavina^[14]

See also

• List of lakes in Golden Valley County, Montana
• List of mountains in Golden Valley County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Golden Valley County, Montana