Daniels County, Montana

History

Daniels County was created in 1920 from portions of Sheridan and Valley Counties. The name comes from Mansfield Daniels, a local rancher.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,426 square miles (3,690 km²), of which 1,426 square miles (3,690 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) (0.03%) is water.

Daniels County is predominately rolling plains. The Poplar River flows through the county.

Major highways

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,017 people, 892 households, and 561 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.4 people per square mile (0.55/km²). There were 1,154 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.03% White, 1.29% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. 1.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.7% were of Norwegian, 20.0% German, 7.8% Irish and 5.5% French ancestry.

There were 892 households out of which 23.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 5.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.10% were non-families. 33.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.10% under the age of 18, 4.90% from 18 to 24, 20.00% from 25 to 44, 29.50% from 45 to 64, and 23.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,306, and the median income for a family was $35,722. Males had a median income of $24,405 versus $18,421 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,055. About 13.40% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.20% of those under age 18 and 13.20% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,751 people, 798 households, and 481 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.46/km²). There were 1,111 housing units at an average density of 0.8 per square mile (0.31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% white, 2.1% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 39.4% were Norwegian, 31.8% were German, 9.0% were English, 8.3% were Irish, and 1.2% were American.

Of the 798 households, 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.7% were non-families, and 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77. The median age was 50.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,125 and the median income for a family was $49,479. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $25,921 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,737. About 9.8% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The main source of income for Daniels County has been cattle and dryland wheat.

Education

There is one K-12 school serving all of Daniels County, Scobey High School.

City

Town

Unincorporated communities