Roosevelt County, Montana

Roosevelt County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,794.^[1] Its county seat is Wolf Point.^[2] Roosevelt County was created by the Montana Legislature in 1919 from a portion of Sheridan County. The name honors former president Theodore Roosevelt, who had died earlier that year.^[3]

Roosevelt County
County
Roosevelt County Courthouse in Wolf Point
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°18′N 105°02′W
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	1919
Named after	Theodore Roosevelt
Seat	Wolf Point
Largest city	Wolf Point
Area
• Total	2,369 sq mi (6,140 km2)
• Land	2,355 sq mi (6,100 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (40 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,794
• Estimate  (2024)	10,197
• Density	4.6/sq mi (1.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.rooseveltcounty.org
Montana county number 17

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,369 square miles (6,140 km²), of which 2,355 square miles (6,100 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (0.6%) is water.^[4] Three-fourths of the county's land area lies within the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 2
• Montana Highway 13
• Montana Highway 16
• Montana Highway 25
• Montana Highway 251

Transit

• Amtrak Empire Builder (Wolf Point station)

Adjacent counties

• Daniels County – northwest
• Sheridan County – northeast
• Williams County, North Dakota – east
• McKenzie County, North Dakota – southeast
• Richland County – south
• McCone County – southwest
• Valley County - west

National protected areas

• Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (part)
• Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bredette has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Bredette was 108 °F (42.2 °C) on August 6, 1983, and July 24, 2007, while the coldest temperature recorded was −52 °F (−46.7 °C) on January 20, 1954.^[5]

Climate data for Bredette, Montana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1950–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	57 (14)	65 (18)	76 (24)	91 (33)	100 (38)	107 (42)	108 (42)	108 (42)	103 (39)	95 (35)	76 (24)	59 (15)	108 (42)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	45.3 (7.4)	46.0 (7.8)	63.0 (17.2)	77.2 (25.1)	85.4 (29.7)	90.9 (32.7)	96.0 (35.6)	97.6 (36.4)	92.6 (33.7)	78.9 (26.1)	61.4 (16.3)	45.9 (7.7)	99.6 (37.6)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	22.3 (−5.4)	26.3 (−3.2)	39.1 (3.9)	54.9 (12.7)	66.7 (19.3)	74.8 (23.8)	82.4 (28.0)	82.9 (28.3)	71.7 (22.1)	54.9 (12.7)	37.6 (3.1)	25.6 (−3.6)	53.3 (11.8)
Daily mean °F (°C)	12.3 (−10.9)	16.0 (−8.9)	28.0 (−2.2)	41.7 (5.4)	52.9 (11.6)	61.5 (16.4)	67.9 (19.9)	67.5 (19.7)	57.2 (14.0)	42.5 (5.8)	27.3 (−2.6)	16.0 (−8.9)	40.9 (4.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	2.4 (−16.4)	5.7 (−14.6)	17.0 (−8.3)	28.5 (−1.9)	39.1 (3.9)	48.3 (9.1)	53.5 (11.9)	52.1 (11.2)	42.8 (6.0)	30.1 (−1.1)	17.0 (−8.3)	6.4 (−14.2)	28.6 (−1.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−23.3 (−30.7)	−17.3 (−27.4)	−5.4 (−20.8)	13.3 (−10.4)	25.6 (−3.6)	38.3 (3.5)	44.5 (6.9)	40.8 (4.9)	27.8 (−2.3)	12.2 (−11.0)	−4.3 (−20.2)	−17.6 (−27.6)	−28.1 (−33.4)
Record low °F (°C)	−52 (−47)	−48 (−44)	−34 (−37)	−12 (−24)	8 (−13)	26 (−3)	35 (2)	29 (−2)	10 (−12)	−7 (−22)	−24 (−31)	−39 (−39)	−52 (−47)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.39 (9.9)	0.26 (6.6)	0.50 (13)	0.97 (25)	2.09 (53)	3.38 (86)	2.68 (68)	1.32 (34)	1.02 (26)	0.92 (23)	0.49 (12)	0.39 (9.9)	14.41 (366.4)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	5.6 (14)	3.6 (9.1)	3.9 (9.9)	2.3 (5.8)	0.8 (2.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	2.2 (5.6)	4.3 (11)	5.5 (14)	28.2 (71.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	6.4	5.3	5.9	8.0	9.8	12.3	9.8	7.2	7.3	7.2	6.3	5.9	91.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	6.7	5.2	4.8	2.3	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.7	5.1	6.4	32.7
Source 1: NOAA[6]
Source 2: National Weather Service[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	10,347		—
1930	10,672		3.1%
1940	9,806		−8.1%
1950	9,580		−2.3%
1960	11,731		22.5%
1970	10,365		−11.6%
1980	10,467		1.0%
1990	10,999		5.1%
2000	10,620		−3.4%
2010	10,425		−1.8%
2020	10,794		3.5%
2024 (est.)	10,197	[7]	−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960,[9] 1900–1990,[10] 1990–2000,[11] 2010–2020[1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,794 people living in the county.^{[citation needed]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 10,425 people, 3,553 households, and 2,548 families residing in the county. The population density was 4.4 inhabitants per square mile (1.7/km²). There were 4,063 housing units at an average density of 1.7 per square mile (0.66/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.4% American Indian, 35.8% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.0% were Norwegian, 16.3% were German, 6.1% were Irish, and 1.3% were American.

Of the 3,553 households, 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.41. The median age was 31.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,451 and the median income for a family was $50,146. Males had a median income of $39,008 versus $34,725 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,821. About 15.8% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Roosevelt County is competitive in presidential elections, due to its high Native American population. After a seven-election streak of voting for the Democratic candidate, it voted for Republican Donald Trump by narrow margins in 2016 and 2020. In 2024, the county trended more strongly in the conservative direction when it gave Trump a 53% majority.

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,055	52.50%	1,680	42.92%	179	4.57%
2020	1,996	49.69%	1,910	47.55%	111	2.76%
2016	1,797	49.21%	1,560	42.72%	295	8.08%
2012	1,514	41.23%	2,086	56.81%	72	1.96%
2008	1,473	35.47%	2,564	61.74%	116	2.79%
2004	1,762	43.74%	2,195	54.49%	71	1.76%
2000	1,605	42.09%	2,059	54.00%	149	3.91%
1996	1,209	30.25%	2,118	52.99%	670	16.76%
1992	1,212	28.91%	1,827	43.57%	1,154	27.52%
1988	1,957	47.52%	2,083	50.58%	78	1.89%
1984	2,431	54.46%	1,962	43.95%	71	1.59%
1980	2,298	55.24%	1,504	36.15%	358	8.61%
1976	1,822	46.38%	2,061	52.47%	45	1.15%
1972	2,304	58.97%	1,464	37.47%	139	3.56%
1968	1,947	50.12%	1,771	45.59%	167	4.30%
1964	1,612	39.53%	2,463	60.40%	3	0.07%
1960	1,876	45.40%	2,227	53.90%	29	0.70%
1956	1,985	47.37%	2,205	52.63%	0	0.00%
1952	1,998	57.36%	1,466	42.09%	19	0.55%
1948	1,142	36.51%	1,820	58.18%	166	5.31%
1944	1,281	40.44%	1,848	58.33%	39	1.23%
1940	1,503	37.74%	2,418	60.72%	61	1.53%
1936	1,052	25.60%	2,923	71.14%	134	3.26%
1932	965	27.57%	2,263	64.66%	272	7.77%
1928	1,630	55.27%	1,296	43.95%	23	0.78%
1924	965	39.10%	389	15.76%	1,114	45.14%
1920	1,624	71.26%	555	24.35%	100	4.39%

Communities

Roosevelt County Courthouse, Wolf Point MT

Cities

• Poplar
• Wolf Point (county seat)

Towns

• Bainville
• Culbertson
• Froid

Census-designated place

• Brockton

Unincorporated communities

• Biem^[13]
• Blair^[14]
• Bredette^[15]
• Chelsea^[16]
• Fort Kipp^[17]
• Macon^[18]
• Sprole^[19]

See also

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