Valley County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. Valley County was created in 1893 with area partitioned from Dawson County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,578. Its county seat is Glasgow. It is located on the Canada–United States border with Saskatchewan.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.7%) is water. It is Montana's fourth-largest county by total area.

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Highway 2 Montana Highway 24 Montana Highway 42 Montana Highway 117 Montana Secondary Highway 248

Bus Glasgow and the greater Valley County region are served by a non-profit taxi/bus service called Valley Country Transit.

Rail Amtrak Empire Builder (Glasgow station)

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

Phillips County - west Garfield County - south McCone County - south Roosevelt County - east Daniels County - east Rural Municipality (RM) of Mankota No. 45, Saskatchewan (SK) - north RM of Waverley No. 44, SK - north RM of Old Post No. 43, SK - north

National protected area Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Economy Agriculture is the major economic activity of Valley County. The US Air Force operated Glasgow Air Force Base at St. Marie until 1976, which was a strong influence on the local economy until its closure.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 7,578. Of the residents, 23.2% were under the age of 18 and 22.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.5 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 9.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population.

There were 3,221 households in the county, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 4,229 housing units, of which 23.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.0% were owner-occupied and 28.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.1%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 7,369 people, 3,198 households, and 1,997 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 4,879 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% white, 9.8% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.4% were German, 27.9% were Norwegian, 12.4% were Irish, 10.3% were English, and 6.8% were American.

Of the 3,198 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.6% were non-families, and 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 46.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,050 and the median income for a family was $54,096. Males had a median income of $40,802 versus $30,272 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,305. About 5.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over. Politics Valley County voters vote reliably Republican in national elections. Since 1964, they have selected the Democratic Party candidate only once (1992, due to strong showing by third-party candidate Ross Perot, which split the Republican voters).

Communities City Glasgow (county seat)

Towns Fort Peck Nashua Opheim

Census-designated places Frazer Hinsdale St. Marie

Unincorporated communities

BaylorBaylor MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) Glentana Larslan Lustre Miles CrossingMiles Crossing MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) Oswego Park GrovePark Grove MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) RichlandRichland Post Office MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) RoanwoodRoanwood MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) TampicoTampico MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) Vandalia WhatelyWhately MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) WheelerWheeler MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)

Ghost towns BeavertonBeaverton MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019) Genevieve ThoenyThoeny MT Google Maps (accessed January 7, 2019)

Census Maps

See also Fort Peck Dam List of lakes in Valley County, Montana (A-L) List of lakes in Valley County, Montana (M-Z) List of mountains in Valley County, Montana National Register of Historic Places listings in Valley County, Montana

References

External links

Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce