Pondera County, Montana

Pondera County (/ˌpɒndəˈreɪ/ POND-ə-RAY)^[2] is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,898.^[3] Its county seat is Conrad.^[4]

Pondera County
County
Pondera County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°14′N 112°13′W
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	April 1, 1919[1]
Named after	Pend d'Oreilles people
Seat	Conrad
Largest city	Conrad
Area
• Total	1,640 sq mi (4,200 km2)
• Land	1,623 sq mi (4,200 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,898
• Estimate  (2024)	6,078
• Density	3.6/sq mi (1.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd
Website	www.ponderacountymontana.org
Montana county number 26

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,640 square miles (4,200 km²), of which 1,623 square miles (4,200 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (1.0%) is water.^[5]

Adjacent counties

• Glacier County – north
• Toole County – north
• Liberty County – east
• Chouteau County – east
• Teton County – south
• Flathead County – west

National protected area

• Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)
• Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	5,741		—
1930	6,964		21.3%
1940	6,716		−3.6%
1950	6,392		−4.8%
1960	7,653		19.7%
1970	6,611		−13.6%
1980	6,731		1.8%
1990	6,433		−4.4%
2000	6,424		−0.1%
2010	6,153		−4.2%
2020	5,898		−4.1%
2024 (est.)	6,078	[6]	3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010–2020[3]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,898 people living in the county.^{[citation needed]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,153 people, 2,285 households, and 1,528 families residing in the county. The population density was 3.8 inhabitants per square mile (1.5/km²). There were 2,659 housing units at an average density of 1.6 units per square mile (0.62 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.7% white, 14.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.9% were German, 14.7% were Norwegian, 13.2% were Irish, 9.3% were English, 5.7% were Dutch, and 5.6% were American.

Of the 2,285 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 42.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,419 and the median income for a family was $47,656. Males had a median income of $34,259 versus $26,903 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,989. About 14.9% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

From its creation until 1964, voters of Pondera County were fairly balanced; they selected Democratic Party candidates in 58% of national elections. Since 1964, the Republican presidential candidate has garnered the county's vote in every election. The eastern part of the county reaches into the Blackfeet Reservation, which votes strongly Democratic; otherwise the county is strongly Republican-leaning. A Republican trend on the Reservation in 2024, which also occurred in neighboring Glacier County and other majority Native American counties in Montana, led to Donald Trump performing better than any other Republican in county history that year.^[11]

United States presidential election results for Pondera County, Montana^[12]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,972	69.14%	782	27.42%	98	3.44%
2020	2,031	67.81%	903	30.15%	61	2.04%
2016	1,799	66.07%	738	27.10%	186	6.83%
2012	1,673	61.53%	975	35.86%	71	2.61%
2008	1,588	55.04%	1,223	42.39%	74	2.56%
2004	1,853	64.79%	956	33.43%	51	1.78%
2000	1,948	67.27%	792	27.35%	156	5.39%
1996	1,438	48.53%	1,123	37.90%	402	13.57%
1992	1,252	39.56%	1,046	33.05%	867	27.39%
1988	1,795	57.64%	1,245	39.98%	74	2.38%
1984	2,239	67.52%	1,039	31.33%	38	1.15%
1980	2,270	66.14%	897	26.14%	265	7.72%
1976	1,666	52.89%	1,413	44.86%	71	2.25%
1972	1,890	57.41%	1,215	36.91%	187	5.68%
1968	1,530	52.98%	1,149	39.79%	209	7.24%
1964	1,110	38.58%	1,759	61.14%	8	0.28%
1960	1,452	46.76%	1,653	53.24%	0	0.00%
1956	1,651	53.45%	1,438	46.55%	0	0.00%
1952	1,719	57.45%	1,246	41.64%	27	0.90%
1948	902	35.37%	1,555	60.98%	93	3.65%
1944	890	37.70%	1,448	61.33%	23	0.97%
1940	1,038	34.83%	1,899	63.72%	43	1.44%
1936	658	22.43%	2,213	75.43%	63	2.15%
1932	930	32.35%	1,805	62.78%	140	4.87%
1928	1,324	57.99%	944	41.35%	15	0.66%
1924	764	37.67%	414	20.41%	850	41.91%
1920	1,654	62.49%	893	33.74%	100	3.78%

Communities

City

• Conrad (county seat)

Town

• Valier^[13]

Census-designated places

• Birch Creek Colony
• Brady
• Dupuyer
• Heart Butte
• Kingsbury Colony
• Midway Colony
• New Miami Colony
• Pondera Colony

Other unincorporated communities

• East Community^[14]
• Fowler^[15]
• Gallup City^[16]
• Ledger
• Manson^[17]
• Williams^[18]

Notable people

• Ivan Doig, author; resided in Dupuyer
• George Montgomery – film/television actor; born and raised in Brady

See also

• List of lakes in Pondera County, Montana
• List of mountains in Pondera County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Pondera County MT