Custer County, Montana
Custer County is a county located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 11,867. Its county seat and largest town is Miles City. The county was established after the end of the American Civil War, on June 2, 1865, as one of the nine original counties of the new western federal Territory of Montana, which had been formed the previous May of 1864 by the United States Congress, with the approval of 16th President Abraham Lincoln. It was originally named Big Horn County of the old Montana Territory, and was renamed on February 16, 1877, in honor of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, commander of the famous 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, recently massacred and killed in the nearby Battle of the Little Bighorn, in the later portion of the American Indian Wars, the year before in June 1876.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Custer County has a mostly cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.Major highways
- Interstate 94
- U.S. Highway 12
- U.S. Highway 212
- Montana Highway 59
Transit
Adjacent counties
- Prairie County - north
- Fallon County - east
- Carter County - southeast
- Powder River County - south
- Rosebud County - west
- Garfield County - northwest
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,867. Of the residents, 22.1% were under the age of 18 and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.0 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.0 males. 77.8% of residents lived in urban areas and 22.2% lived in rural areas.The racial makeup of the county was 91.3% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 1.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.1% of the population.
There were 5,024 households in the county, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,776 housing units, of which 13.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.8% were owner-occupied and 33.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.7%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 11,699 people, 5,031 households, and 3,014 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 5,560 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.6% were German, 18.3% were Irish, 14.3% were American, 14.1% were Norwegian, and 10.6% were English.Of the 5,031 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.1% were non-families, and 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 42.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,913 and the median income for a family was $49,011. Males had a median income of $37,535 versus $26,576 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,676. About 12.4% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.