Prairie County, Montana

Prairie County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,088,^[1] making it the fifth-least populous county in Montana.^[2] Its county seat is Terry.^[3] Prairie County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1915 out of parts of Custer, Dawson, and Fallon Counties. The name was selected in a contest and reflects the predominant landscape of the region.^[4]

Prairie County
County
Downtown Terry, Montana during a typical snowy day.
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°51′N 105°22′W
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	February 5, 1915
Named after	Prairie landscape
Seat	Terry
Largest town	Terry
Area
• Total	1,743 sq mi (4,510 km2)
• Land	1,737 sq mi (4,500 km2)
• Water	5.8 sq mi (15 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,088
• Estimate  (2024)	1,112
• Density	0.6/sq mi (0.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	visitterrymt.com (Terry Chamber of Commerce)
Montana county number 45

The county was the site of the 1938 Custer Creek train wreck that killed 47 people and injured 75.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,743 square miles (4,510 km²), of which 1,737 square miles (4,500 km²) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) (0.3%) is water.^[5]

Major highways

• Interstate 94
• Montana Highway 253

Adjacent counties

• McCone County - north
• Dawson County - northeast
• Wibaux County - east
• Fallon County - southeast
• Custer County - south
• Garfield County - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	3,684		—
1930	3,941		7.0%
1940	2,410		−38.8%
1950	2,377		−1.4%
1960	2,318		−2.5%
1970	1,752		−24.4%
1980	1,836		4.8%
1990	1,383		−24.7%
2000	1,199		−13.3%
2010	1,179		−1.7%
2020	1,088		−7.7%
2024 (est.)	1,112	[6]	2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960,[8] 1900–1990,[9] 1990–2000,[10] 2010–2020[1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,088 people living in the county.^{[citation needed]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,179 people, 551 households, and 342 families in the county. The population density was 0.7 inhabitants per square mile (0.27/km²). There were 673 housing units at an average density of 0.4 per square mile (0.15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.4% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 44.7% were German, 18.6% were Norwegian, 14.1% were American, 11.8% were Irish, and 9.5% were English.

Of the 551 households, 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.9% were non-families, and 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age was 53.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,896 and the median income for a family was $43,500. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $21,964 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,296. About 12.4% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.6% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voters in Prairie County have voted for Republican Party candidates in all national elections since 1948 (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Prairie County, Montana^[11]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	546	79.25%	122	17.71%	21	3.05%
2020	603	81.05%	126	16.94%	15	2.02%
2016	556	80.70%	100	14.51%	33	4.79%
2012	520	73.97%	167	23.76%	16	2.28%
2008	503	68.44%	211	28.71%	21	2.86%
2004	546	74.18%	181	24.59%	9	1.22%
2000	541	72.52%	164	21.98%	41	5.50%
1996	417	53.46%	259	33.21%	104	13.33%
1992	412	48.13%	260	30.37%	184	21.50%
1988	541	60.11%	343	38.11%	16	1.78%
1984	693	69.93%	289	29.16%	9	0.91%
1980	580	62.57%	283	30.53%	64	6.90%
1976	597	58.59%	415	40.73%	7	0.69%
1972	685	68.57%	303	30.33%	11	1.10%
1968	635	67.77%	270	28.82%	32	3.42%
1964	555	52.96%	488	46.56%	5	0.48%
1960	649	65.75%	338	34.25%	0	0.00%
1956	637	61.25%	403	38.75%	0	0.00%
1952	771	69.21%	338	30.34%	5	0.45%
1948	499	47.89%	527	50.58%	16	1.54%
1944	598	55.68%	468	43.58%	8	0.74%
1940	597	51.42%	554	47.72%	10	0.86%
1936	454	33.31%	877	64.34%	32	2.35%
1932	634	45.71%	732	52.78%	21	1.51%
1928	968	70.20%	405	29.37%	6	0.44%
1924	683	56.21%	162	13.33%	370	30.45%
1920	881	76.68%	242	21.06%	26	2.26%
1916	535	45.38%	622	52.76%	22	1.87%

Communities

Town

• Terry (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Fallon

Other communities

• Crow Rock^[12]
• McCloud^[13]
• Mildred
• Saugus
• Zero

See also

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