Valley County, Montana

Valley County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. Valley County was created in 1893 with area partitioned from Dawson County.^[1] As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,578.^[2] Its county seat is Glasgow.^[3] It is located on the Canada–United States border with Saskatchewan.

Valley County
County
Valley County Courthouse in Glasgow
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°22′N 106°40′W
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	1893
Seat	Glasgow
Largest city	Glasgow
Area
• Total	5,062 sq mi (13,110 km2)
• Land	4,926 sq mi (12,760 km2)
• Water	136 sq mi (350 km2)  2.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,578
• Estimate  (2024)	7,434
• Density	1.5/sq mi (0.58/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.valleycountymt.gov
Montana county number 20

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,062 square miles (13,110 km²), of which 4,926 square miles (12,760 km²) is land and 136 square miles (350 km²) (2.7%) is water.^[4] It is Montana's fourth-largest county by total area.

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 2
• Montana Highway 24
• Montana Highway 42
• Montana Highway 117
• Montana Secondary Highway 248

Bus

Glasgow and the greater Valley County region are served by a non-profit taxi/bus service called Valley Country Transit.^[5]

Rail

• Amtrak Empire Builder (Glasgow station)

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Phillips County - west
• Garfield County - south
• McCone County - south
• Roosevelt County - east
• Daniels County - east
• Rural Municipality (RM) of Mankota No. 45, Saskatchewan (SK) - north
• RM of Waverley No. 44, SK - north
• RM of Old Post No. 43, SK - north

National protected area

• Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Economy

Agriculture is the major economic activity of Valley County. The US Air Force operated Glasgow Air Force Base at St. Marie until 1976, which was a strong influence on the local economy until its closure.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	4,355		—
1910	13,630		213.0%
1920	11,542		−15.3%
1930	11,181		−3.1%
1940	15,181		35.8%
1950	11,353		−25.2%
1960	17,080		50.4%
1970	11,471		−32.8%
1980	10,250		−10.6%
1990	8,239		−19.6%
2000	7,675		−6.8%
2010	7,369		−4.0%
2020	7,578		2.8%
2024 (est.)	7,434	[6]	−1.9%
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 7,578 people living in the county.^{[citation needed]}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,369 people, 3,198 households, and 1,997 families living in the county. The population density was 1.5 inhabitants per square mile (0.58/km²). There were 4,879 housing units at an average density of 1.0 units per square mile (0.39/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 9.8% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.4% were German, 27.9% were Norwegian, 12.4% were Irish, 10.3% were English, and 6.8% were American.

Of the 3,198 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 46.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,050 and the median income for a family was $54,096. Males had a median income of $40,802 versus $30,272 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,305. About 5.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Valley County voters vote reliably Republican in national elections. Since 1964, they have selected the Democratic Party candidate only once (1992, due to strong showing by third-party candidate Ross Perot, which split the Republican voters).

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,019	74.01%	935	22.92%	125	3.06%
2020	3,135	73.57%	1,030	24.17%	96	2.25%
2016	2,698	69.29%	886	22.75%	310	7.96%
2012	2,337	60.56%	1,385	35.89%	137	3.55%
2008	2,121	54.23%	1,645	42.06%	145	3.71%
2004	2,476	61.62%	1,431	35.61%	111	2.76%
2000	2,500	63.08%	1,273	32.12%	190	4.79%
1996	1,838	43.69%	1,674	39.79%	695	16.52%
1992	1,497	32.77%	1,715	37.54%	1,356	29.68%
1988	2,467	52.42%	2,163	45.96%	76	1.61%
1984	3,123	61.89%	1,849	36.64%	74	1.47%
1980	3,242	62.47%	1,567	30.19%	381	7.34%
1976	2,520	50.82%	2,352	47.43%	87	1.75%
1972	3,210	60.02%	1,973	36.89%	165	3.09%
1968	2,290	49.44%	1,926	41.58%	416	8.98%
1964	2,077	40.53%	3,032	59.16%	16	0.31%
1960	2,387	44.65%	2,953	55.24%	6	0.11%
1956	2,357	48.42%	2,511	51.58%	0	0.00%
1952	2,462	53.28%	2,130	46.09%	29	0.63%
1948	1,375	33.45%	2,535	61.68%	200	4.87%
1944	1,341	37.44%	2,196	61.31%	45	1.26%
1940	1,597	30.94%	3,493	67.67%	72	1.39%
1936	996	14.11%	5,862	83.07%	199	2.82%
1932	1,242	30.35%	2,499	61.07%	351	8.58%
1928	2,330	63.85%	1,294	35.46%	25	0.69%
1924	1,555	51.10%	497	16.33%	991	32.57%
1920	2,096	62.89%	895	26.85%	342	10.26%
1916	1,111	32.28%	2,102	61.07%	229	6.65%
1912	668	25.84%	696	26.92%	1,221	47.23%
1908	843	59.12%	503	35.27%	80	5.61%
1904	742	67.70%	335	30.57%	19	1.73%

Communities

City

• Glasgow (county seat)

Towns

• Fort Peck
• Nashua
• Opheim

Census-designated places

• Frazer
• Hinsdale
• St. Marie

Unincorporated communities

• Baylor^[12]
• Glentana
• Larslan
• Lustre
• Miles Crossing^[13]
• Oswego
• Park Grove^[14]
• Richland^[15]
• Roanwood^[16]
• Tampico^[17]
• Vandalia
• Whately^[18]
• Wheeler^[19]

Ghost towns

• Beaverton^[20]
• Genevieve
• Thoeny^[21]

Census Maps

Valley County Census Districts 1940

Valley County Census Districts, colored, 2010 U.S. Census

See also

• Fort Peck Dam
• List of lakes in Valley County, Montana (A-L)
• List of lakes in Valley County, Montana (M-Z)
• List of mountains in Valley County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Valley County, Montana