# Cascade County, Montana

Cascade County (cascade means waterfall in French) is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 84,414, making it the fifth-most populous county in Montana. Its county seat is Great Falls.
Cascade County comprises the Great Falls, MT Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

At the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Cascade County was the territory of the Blackfeet. The county was named for the falls on the Missouri River.
The United States Army once had Fort Shaw as an outpost in the northwest part of the county. Only a small settlement, a CDP, remains by that name.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,711 square miles (7,020 km$^2$), of which 2,698 square miles (6,990 km$^2$) is land and 13 square miles (34 km$^2$) (0.5%) is water. The Missouri River and the Sun River flow through the county, and meet at the city of Great Falls. A portion of the Adel Mountains Volcanic Field is in the county's southwest corner. The Rocky Mountains are in the western part of the county, with the Little Belt and Highwood Mountains in the southeast.

### Adjacent counties

* Teton County - northwest
* Chouteau County - northeast
* Judith Basin County - east
* Meagher County - south
* Lewis and Clark County - west

### National protected areas

* Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
* Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)

## Demographics
### 2020 census

As of the 2020 census, 84,414 people were living in the county.

### 2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 81,327 people, 33,809 households, and 21,403 families in the county. The population density was 30.1 inhabitants per square mile (11.6/km$^2$). There were 37,276 housing units at an average density of 13.8 per square mile (5.3/km$^2$). The county's racial makeup was 89.2% white, 4.3% American Indian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.5% were German, 17.1% were Irish, 12.3% were English, 10.3% were Norwegian, and 4.5% were American.
Of the 33,809 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 38.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,389, and the median income for a family was $53,540. Males had a median income of $37,904 versus $27,944 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,963. About 10.9% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

## Politics

Like Lewis & Clark County to the west, Cascade County leans Republican but has voted for Democrats four times since Lyndon Johnson's landslide in 1964. Hubert Humphrey easily won this county in 1968, one of nine counties he won. Barack Obama carried Cascade in 2008 but lost to Mitt Romney in 2012 by 9%. Since 2012, the county has voted Republican by comfortable margins. In 2020, Donald Trump won the county with over 58% of the vote, the best performance by a Republican since 1920. The county continued this trend in 2024, when Trump won nearly 60% of the vote.
In statewide races, Cascade County often acts as a bellwether county. It has been friendlier to Democrats - Senator Max Baucus carried the county in all of his elections, and Governors Brian Schweitzer and Steve Bullock carried it in all four elections in 2004–2016. Since at least 1984, no Democrat has won in Montana without winning Cascade County, however, Republicans have occasionally won statewide without carrying the county, such as former Senator Conrad Burns in 1988 and 2000, Governors Marc Racicot in 1992 and Judy Martz in 2000, Secretaries of State Bob Brown in 2000 and Brad Johnson in 2004, and Attorney General Tim Fox in 2012.
United States presidential election results for Cascade County, Montana :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 22,419 | 59.65% | 14,021 | 37.31% | 1,143 | 3.04% |
| 2020 | 23,315 | 58.46% | 15,456 | 38.75% | 1,114 | 2.79% |
| 2016 | 19,632 | 56.79% | 12,175 | 35.22% | 2,764 | 8.00% |
| 2012 | 18,345 | 53.06% | 15,232 | 44.05% | 999 | 2.89% |
| 2008 | 16,857 | 47.62% | 17,664 | 49.90% | 875 | 2.47% |
| 2004 | 19,028 | 56.87% | 13,701 | 40.95% | 730 | 2.18% |
| 2000 | 18,164 | 54.52% | 13,137 | 39.43% | 2,016 | 6.05% |
| 1996 | 14,291 | 40.82% | 15,707 | 44.87% | 5,008 | 14.31% |
| 1992 | 12,494 | 34.16% | 14,719 | 40.24% | 9,365 | 25.60% |
| 1988 | 15,946 | 49.64% | 15,718 | 48.93% | 460 | 1.43% |
| 1984 | 19,846 | 57.52% | 14,252 | 41.30% | 407 | 1.18% |
| 1980 | 17,664 | 54.80% | 11,105 | 34.45% | 3,465 | 10.75% |
| 1976 | 15,289 | 50.11% | 14,678 | 48.11% | 544 | 1.78% |
| 1972 | 16,159 | 52.40% | 12,899 | 41.83% | 1,778 | 5.77% |
| 1968 | 11,588 | 43.23% | 13,507 | 50.39% | 1,708 | 6.37% |
| 1964 | 8,986 | 33.64% | 17,609 | 65.92% | 119 | 0.45% |
| 1960 | 11,928 | 45.72% | 14,117 | 54.11% | 45 | 0.17% |
| 1956 | 12,455 | 52.88% | 11,098 | 47.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 12,176 | 52.09% | 11,051 | 47.28% | 146 | 0.62% |
| 1948 | 6,830 | 34.47% | 12,082 | 60.97% | 905 | 4.57% |
| 1944 | 6,372 | 36.54% | 10,924 | 62.65% | 141 | 0.81% |
| 1940 | 6,443 | 31.70% | 13,637 | 67.10% | 244 | 1.20% |
| 1936 | 4,077 | 22.92% | 13,325 | 74.91% | 387 | 2.18% |
| 1932 | 5,800 | 34.48% | 10,047 | 59.72% | 976 | 5.80% |
| 1928 | 8,183 | 55.08% | 6,540 | 44.02% | 133 | 0.90% |
| 1924 | 5,081 | 43.41% | 2,220 | 18.96% | 4,405 | 37.63% |
| 1920 | 6,808 | 58.83% | 3,938 | 34.03% | 826 | 7.14% |
| 1916 | 3,253 | 30.57% | 6,612 | 62.14% | 776 | 7.29% |
| 1912 | 1,079 | 23.72% | 1,633 | 35.90% | 1,837 | 40.38% |
| 1908 | 1,935 | 44.86% | 1,888 | 43.77% | 490 | 11.36% |
| 1904 | 2,405 | 55.34% | 1,385 | 31.87% | 556 | 12.79% |
| 1900 | 1,997 | 42.96% | 2,564 | 55.16% | 87 | 1.87% |
| 1896 | 953 | 24.51% | 2,920 | 75.10% | 15 | 0.39% |
| 1892 | 1,295 | 45.22% | 1,184 | 41.34% | 385 | 13.44% |

## Economy

Malmstrom Air Force Base is a driving force in the regional economy. In 2009, Benefis, Great Falls Clinic, National Electronics Warranty and Walmart were the largest private employers.

## Education

The Apollos University, the University of Great Falls, and the MSU College of Technology—Great Falls are all located in Great Falls.

### K-12 education

Public school districts include:
Secondary:
* Belt High School District
* Cascade High School District
* Great Falls High School District
* Simms High School District
* Centerville High School District
Elementary:
* Belt Elementary School District
* Centerville Elementary School District
* Cascade Elementary School District
* Great Falls Elementary School District
* Sun River Valley Elementary School District
* Ulm Elementary School District
* Vaughn Elementary School District
There is also a state-operated school, Montana School for the Deaf & Blind.

## Communities
### City

* Great Falls (county seat)

### Towns

* Belt
* Cascade
* Neihart

### Census-designated places

* Big Stone Colony
* Black Eagle
* Cascade Colony
* Centerville
* Fair Haven Colony
* Fort Shaw
* Gibson Flats
* Hardy
* Malmstrom AFB
* Monarch
* Pleasant Valley Colony
* Riceville
* Sand Coulee
* Simms
* Stockett
* Sun Prairie
* Sun River
* Tracy
* Ulm
* Vaughn

### Unincorporated communities

* Adel
* Armington
* Armington Junction
* Ashuelot
* Dearborn (partially within Lewis & Clark County)
* Eden
* Emerson Junction
* Gordon
* Millegan
* Number Seven
* Salem
* Sheffels
* Portage

## In popular culture

Several motion pictures have been filmed in Great Falls. Many have filmed in Cascade County and Great Falls, and a few in Cascade County (outside the Great Falls city limits). Those films shot in the county and outside Great Falls city limits include:
* Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
* The Stone Boy (1984)
* The Untouchables (1987)
* Holy Matrimony (1994)
* The Slaughter Rule (2002)
* Northfork (2003)
* Iron Ridge (2008)
* Wildlife (2018)