Fergus County, Montana

Fergus County, Montana
Fergus County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,446. Its county seat is Lewistown. The county was founded in 1885 and named for James Fergus, a Montana politician who was instrumental in creating the county.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Chouteau County – northwest
Blaine County – north
Phillips County – northeast
Petroleum County – east
Musselshell County – southeast
Golden Valley County – south
Wheatland County – southwest
Judith Basin County – west
Major highways
U.S. Highway 87
U.S. Highway 191
Montana Highway 3
Montana Highway 80
Montana Highway 81
Montana Highway 200
National protected areas
Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Lewis and Clark National Forest (part)
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (part)
Military Installations
LGM-30 Minuteman silos D-01 thru D-11 of the 10th Missile Squadron, 341st Missile Wing, 20th Air Force, assigned to Malmstrom AFB, Montana
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census, of 2020, there were 11,446 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,586 people, 5,099 households, and 3,202 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 5,836 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.8% were German, 15.9% were English, 14.7% were Norwegian, 12.8% were Irish, and 4.2% were American.
Of the 5,099 households, 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age was 47.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,607 and the median income for a family was $48,623. Males had a median income of $35,110 versus $21,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,295. About 12.5% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Communities
City
Lewistown (county seat)
Towns
Denton
Grass Range
Moore
Winifred
Unincorporated communities
Amherst
Buffalo
Christina
Eddies Corner
Forest Grove
Garneill
Giltedge
Hanover
Heath
Hoosac
Maiden
Moore
Piper
Roy
Straw
Valentine
Ware
Former communities
Moulton
Census-designated places
Ayers Ranch Colony
Brooks
Coffee Creek
Danvers
Deerfield Colony
Fords Creek Colony
Hilger
King Ranch Colony
Lewistown Heights
Roy
Spring Creek Colony
Warm Spring Creek
Notable people
Roy E. Ayers, member of the United States House of Representatives and 11th Governor of Montana; served as the attorney of the county from 1905 to 1909.
Carl W. Riddick, House of Representatives from the Second District of Montana, served as County Assessor of Fergus County.
See also
List of lakes in Fergus County, Montana
List of mountains in Fergus County, Montana
National Register of Historic Places listings in Fergus County, Montana
References
Montana counties on the Missouri River
1885 establishments in Montana Territory
Populated places established in 1885