Powell County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,946. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Deer Lodge.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Major highways

* Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 10 (Former) * U.S. Route 12 * Montana Highway 141 * Montana Highway 200

Adjacent counties

* Flathead County - north * Lewis and Clark County - east * Jefferson County - southeast * Deer Lodge County - south * Granite County - southwest * Missoula County - west

National protected areas

* Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (part) * Flathead National Forest (part) * Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site * Helena National Forest (part) * Lolo National Forest (part) * Bob Marshall Wilderness Area (part) * Scapegoat Wilderness Area (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,946 people living in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 7,027 people, 2,466 households, and 1,582 families in the county. The population density was . There were 3,105 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% white, 4.4% American Indian, 1.0% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.9% were German, 19.1% were Irish, 14.6% were English, 8.5% were Norwegian, and 4.7% were American. Of the 2,466 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.8% were non-families, and 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 45.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,851 and the median income for a family was $45,339. Males had a median income of $30,163 versus $24,837 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,849. About 12.3% of families and 17.3% 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 ...

, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The current Montana State Prison facility is located in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the county, near Deer Lodge. Powell County voters have supported Republican Party candidates in every national election since 1964.

Communities

City

* Deer Lodge (county seat)

Census-designated places

* Avon * Elliston *

Garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

* Goldcreek * Helmville * Ovando * Racetrack

Other unincorporated communities

* Carpenter's Bar * Danielsville * Jens * Pioneer * Wall City

Education

Elementary school districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Avon Elementary School District * Deer Lodge Elementary School District * Elliston Elementary School District * Garrison Elementary School District * Gold Creek Elementary School District * Helmville Elementary School District * Ovando Elementary School District All areas in the county are in the Powell County High School District. Deer Lodge School District has two components: Deer Lodge Elementary School District and Powell County High School District.

References

External links

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site

Montana State Prison

Clark Fork Watershed Education Program

Old Montana Prison Museums

Powell County Chamber of Commerce

Powell County Website
{{authority control 1901 establishments in Montana Populated places established in 1901