Custer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,867. Its county seat is Miles City. The county was established on June 2, 1865 as one of the nine original counties of the Territory of Montana named Big Horn County, and was renamed on February 16, 1877 in honor of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Custer County has a mostly cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Major highways

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

U.S. Highway 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that ...

U.S. Highway 212 U.S. Route 212 (US 212) is a spur of US 12. It runs for from Yellowstone National Park to Minnesota Highway 62 at Edina, Minnesota. It does not intersect US 12 now, but it once had an eastern terminus at US 12 in St. Paul, Minnesot ...

Montana Highway 59 Highway 59 (MT 59) is a state highway in Montana, United States, that connects Wyoming Highway 59 (WYO 59) in Wyoming with Montana Highway 200 (MT 200) near the south end of the town of Jordan. WYO 59 continues south to the cit ...

Adjacent counties

* Prairie County - north * Fallon County - east * Carter County - southeast * Powder River County - south * Rosebud County - west * Garfield County - northwest

Politics

Demographics

2000 census

At the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, there were 11,696 people, 4,768 households and 3,089 families living in the county. The population density was 3 per square mile (1/km²). There were 5,360 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.02% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 1.27% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.3% were of German, 12.0% Norwegian, 8.4% English, 8.3% Irish and 5.4%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ancestry. 96.8% spoke English, 1.5% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language. There were 4,768 households, of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 29.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94. 25.10% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males. The median household income was $30,000 and the median family income was $38,779. Males had a median income of $27,857 compared with $18,343 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,876. About 10.10% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.10% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 11,699 people, 5,031 households, and 3,014 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 5,560 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.6% were German, 18.3% were Irish, 14.3% were

, 14.1% were Norwegian, and 10.6% were English. Of the 5,031 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.1% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 42.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $38,913 and the median income for a family was $49,011. Males had a median income of $37,535 versus $26,576 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,676. About 12.4% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Agriculture (

dryland farming Dryland farming and dry farming encompass specific agricultural techniques for the non-irrigated cultivation of crops. Dryland farming is associated with drylands, areas characterized by a cool wet season (which charges the soil with virtually ...

) and cattle raising provide the bulk of Custer County economy. Miles City serves as the center of commerce in an area extending for 100 miles in every direction. As of 2009 the county's largest employers were Holy Rosary Healthcare, Sanjel USA, Stockman Bank, and Walmart.

Communities

City

* Miles City (county seat)

Town

* Ismay

Unincorporated communities

* Bonfield * Garland * Kinsey * Knowlton * Mizpah * Tusler''Tusler, Custer County MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 1, 2019)
/ref> * Volborg

References

{{Coord, 46.27, -105.58, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990 1877 establishments in Montana Territory Populated places established in 1877