Fergus County, Montana

Fergus County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,446. Its county seat is Lewistown. The county was founded in 1885 and named for James Fergus, a Montana politician who was instrumental in creating the county.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Chouteau County – northwest
* Blaine County – north
* Phillips County – northeast
* Petroleum County – east
* Musselshell County – southeast
* Golden Valley County – south
* Wheatland County – southwest
* Judith Basin County – west

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 87
* U.S. Highway 191
* Montana Highway 3
* Montana Highway 80
* Montana Highway 81
* Montana Highway 200

National protected areas

* Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (part)
* Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)
* Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (part)

Military Installations

* LGM-30 Minuteman silos D-01 thru D-11 of the 10th Missile Squadron, 341st Missile Wing, 20th Air Force, assigned to Malmstrom AFB, Montana

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census, of 2020, there were 11,446 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,586 people, 5,099 households, and 3,202 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 5,836 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.8% were German, 15.9% were English, 14.7% were Norwegian, 12.8% were Irish, and 4.2% were American.

Of the 5,099 households, 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age was 47.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,607 and the median income for a family was $48,623. Males had a median income of $35,110 versus $21,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,295. About 12.5% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Since the 1964 election, the Republican candidate has been selected in every election.

Communities

City

* Lewistown (county seat)

Towns

* Denton
* Grass Range
* Moore
* Winifred

Unincorporated communities

* Amherst
* Buffalo
* Christina
* Eddies Corner
* Fergus
* Forest Grove
* Garneill
* Giltedge
* Hanover
* Heath
* Hoosac
* Maiden
* Moore
* Piper
* Roy
* Straw
* Valentine
* Ware

Former communities

Moulton

Census-designated places

* Ayers Ranch Colony
* Brooks
* Coffee Creek
* Danvers
* Deerfield Colony
* Fords Creek Colony
* Hilger
* King Ranch Colony
* Lewistown Heights
* Roy
* Spring Creek Colony
* Warm Spring Creek

Notable people

* Roy E. Ayers, member of the United States House of Representatives and 11th Governor of Montana; served as the attorney of the county from 1905 to 1909.
* Carl W. Riddick, House of Representatives from the Second District of Montana, served as County Assessor of Fergus County.

See also

* List of lakes in Fergus County, Montana
* List of mountains in Fergus County, Montana
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Fergus County, Montana

References

{{Coord, 47.26, -109.22, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MT_source:UScensus1990

Montana counties on the Missouri River
1885 establishments in Montana Territory
Populated places established in 1885