Silver Bow County, Montana

Silver Bow County, Montana
Silver Bow County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,133. Its county seat is Butte. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the single entity of Butte-Silver Bow. Additionally, the town of Walkerville is a separate municipality from Butte and is within the county.
Silver Bow County comprises the Butte-Silver Bow, MT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.08%) is water. It is Montana's smallest county by area.
Major highways
Interstate 15
Interstate 90
Interstate 115
U.S. Highway 10 (Former)
U.S. Highway 91
Montana Highway 2
Montana Highway 41
Montana Highway 43
Montana Highway 55
Transit
Jefferson Lines
Salt Lake Express
Adjacent counties
Deer Lodge County - northwest
Jefferson County - east
Madison County - south
Beaverhead County - southwest
National protected areas
Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest (part)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 35,133 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 34,200 people, 14,932 households, and 8,651 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 16,717 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.4% white, 1.9% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.7% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.6% were Irish, 23.3% were German, 16.1% were English, 8.3% were Italian, 6.9% were Norwegian, and 3.2% were American.
Of the 14,932 households, 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 42.1% were non-families, and 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 41.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,986 and the median income for a family was $52,288. Males had a median income of $41,491 versus $28,132 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,357. About 11.6% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Since 1977, Butte and Silver Bow County have been consolidated into one governmental body under the leadership of the chief executive and the council of commissioners. Elected in November 2020, J.P. Gallagher is the incumbent Chief Executive of Butte-Silver Bow, a nonpartisan office.
A Democratic bastion, Silver Bow County is, along with neighboring Deer Lodge County, one of the two most consistently Democratic-voting counties in Montana in presidential elections, having last voted Republican in 1956 for Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Over the last century, Silver Bow County has voted only once for a Republican gubernatorial candidate (Marc Racicot during the 1996 election). Silver Bow County has not supported any Republican at all for the U.S. Senate since at least 1928.
Silver Bow County is in Montana Senate districts 36 (represented by Republican Jeffrey Welborn), 37 (represented by Democrat Ryan Lynch), 38 (represented by Democrat Edith McClafferty), and 39 (represented by Republican Terry Vermeire). In the Montana House of Representatives, the county is in districts 71 (represented by Republican Kenneth Walsh), 72 (represented by Republican Tom Welch), 73 (represented by Democrat Jennifer Lynch), 74 (represented by Democrat Derek J. Harvey), 76 (represented by Democrat Donavon Hawk, and 78 (represented by Republican Gregory Frazer).
From 2024 to 2032, Silver Bow County will be in State Senate districts 35, 36, and 37, as well as State House of Representatives districts 70, 71, 72, 73, and 74. Two of the three Senate districts are expected to be favorable to Democrats as well as four of the five House districts.
Communities
City
Butte (county seat)
Town
Walkerville
Unincorporated communities
Divide
High View
Melrose
Ramsay
Rocker
Silver Bow
Williamsburg
See also
List of lakes in Silver Bow County, Montana
List of mountains in Silver Bow County, Montana
National Register of Historic Places listings in Silver Bow County, Montana
References
External links
Official website
1881 establishments in Montana Territory
Populated places established in 1881