Mineral County is a county located in the U.S. state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,535. Its county seat is

Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

Geography

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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

U.S. Route 10 U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Unlike most U.S. routes with "0" as the last digit of its route number, US 10 ...

(Former) *

Montana Highway 135 Montana Highway 135 (MT 135) is a state highway in western Montana. It begins at Interstate 90 (I-90) in St. Regis and ends at MT 200 near Paradise. The highway runs along the bank of the Clark Fork River and through Lolo National F ...

Adjacent counties

* Sanders County - north *

Missoula County Missoula County is located in the State of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,922, making it Montana's third-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Missoula. The county was founded in 1860. Missoula Coun ...

- east * Clearwater County,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

- southwest/Pacific Time Border * Shoshone County,

- northwest/Pacific Time Border

National protected area

* Lolo National Forest (part)

Politics

Mineral County has voted for the Republican Party candidate in all national elections since 2000. Before that, its voting was more balanced.

Demographics

2000 census

As of 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 3,884 people, 1,584 households, and 1,067 families in the county. 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 ...

was 3 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 1,961 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.57%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.21%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.93% Native American, 0.51%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. 1.57% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 22.5% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 14.6% Irish, 9.9%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 8.1%

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 ...

and 8.0% Norwegian ancestry. Irish is the 5th most common language spoken at home. There were 1,584 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% 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, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90. The county population contained 24.30% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 29.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 106.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,143, and the median income for a family was $32,096. Males had a median income of $26,782 versus $18,258 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 county was $15,166. About 12.80% of families and 15.80% 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 18.70% of those under age 18 and 8.50% 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 4,223 people, 1,911 households, and 1,229 families in the county. The population density was . There were 2,446 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.9% white, 1.5% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.9% were

, 16.9% were Irish, 15.4% were

, and 3.0% were

. Of the 1,911 households, 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.7% were non-families, and 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age was 49.8 years. The median income for a household in the county was $37,256 and the median income for a family was $44,271. Males had a median income of $35,536 versus $20,370 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,209. About 12.7% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the

, including 36.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

* Alberton *

(county seat)

Census-designated places

* Cyr * De Borgia * Haugan * Riverbend * Saltese * St. Regis

Other unincorporated communities

* Borax (part of Saltese) * Bryson * Cabin City * Drexel * East Portal * Henderson * Keystone * Lozeau * Quartz * Sohon * Spring Gulch * Tammany * Tarkio * Westfall''Westfall MT'' Google Maps (accessed January 3, 2019)
/ref>

Former communities

* Taft

References

External links

Mineral County website
{{Coord, 47.15, -114.98, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990 1914 establishments in Montana Populated places established in 1914