Fort Belknap Agency is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Blaine County, Montana Blaine County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,044. Its county seat is Chinook. The county was named for James G. Blaine, former United States Secretary of State. It is on the north line of ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,293.

Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

Fort Belknap Agency is the capital of the

Fort Belknap Indian Reservation The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation ( ats, ’ak3ɔ́ɔyɔ́ɔ, lit=the fence or ats, ’ɔ’ɔ́ɔ́ɔ́nííítaan’ɔ, lit=Gros Ventre tribe, label=none) is shared by two Native American tribes, the A'aninin (Gros Ventre) and the Nakoda ...

. It is located at the northern end of the reservation at the junction of

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern ...

and

Montana Highway 66 Montana Highway 66 (MT 66) is a state highway in the US state of Montana. It begins at an intersection with U.S. Highway 191 (US 191) in far southwestern Phillips County and runs northerly to the town of Fort Belknap in Blaine County. Approx ...

. The town is the home of

Aaniiih Nakoda College Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC, formerly Fort Belknap College) is a public tribal land-grant community college on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Harlem, Montana. The institution incorporates native culture into the curriculum and promotes c ...

, and other facilities such as the Fort Belknap Hospital, an office of the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

, the Fort Belknap Tribal Council and Tribal Police, and a highway rest area.

Geography

Fort Belknap Agency is located at (48.468779, -108.755390). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.56%, is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, 1,262 people, 345 households, and 287 families were residing in the CDP. This grew to 1293 in the 2010 census and 1,567 in the 2020 census. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

in 2000 was 116.4 people/sq mi (45.0/km²). The 380 housing units averaged 35.1/sq mi (13.5/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the CDP was 2.61% White, 0.32% African American, 95.64% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.51% of the population. Of the 345 households, 50.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 32.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.8% were not families. About 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.64, and the average family size was 4.00. In the CDP, the age distribution was 41.8% under 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $22,000, and for a family was $23,583. Males had a median income of $26,364 versus $20,833 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $9,053. About 37.9% of families and 38.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 56.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

George Horse Capture George Paul Horse Capture (October 20, 1937 – April 16, 2013) ( A'aninin) was an anthropologist, activist, and writer. Horse Capture was one of the earlier Native Americans to be a museum curator. He was the first curator of the Plains Ind ...

, Native American anthropologist and writer, was born here. * James Welch, Native American author, went to school here.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Blaine County, Montana Census-designated places in Montana Fort Belknap Indian Reservation