Gallatin County, Montana


Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. With its county seat in Bozeman, it is the second-most populous county in Montana, with a population of 118,960 in the 2020 Census.
The county's prominent geographical features are the Bridger mountains in the north, and the Gallatin mountains and Gallatin River in the south, named by Meriwether Lewis in 1805 for Albert Gallatin, the United States Treasury Secretary who formulated the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
At the southern end of the county, West Yellowstone's entrance into Yellowstone National Park accounts for around half of all park visitors. Big Sky Resort, one of the largest ski resorts in the United States, lies in Gallatin and neighboring Madison counties, midway between Bozeman and West Yellowstone.

History

During the territorial era, a small patch of land known as "Lost Dakota" existed as a remote exclave of Dakota Territory until it was transferred to Gallatin County, Montana Territory, in 1873.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county attained its present boundaries in 1978, when the former Yellowstone National Park county-equivalent was dissolved and apportioned between Gallatin County and Park County. Gallatin County received of land area and of water area, whereas Park County received of land area and of water area. The geographies transferred are known now as Census Tract 14 in Gallatin County, and as Census Tract 6 in Park County.

Major highways

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 118,960 and 47,117 households; 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18, 13.2% were 65 years of age or older, there were 107.4 males for every 100 females, and 65.2% of residents lived in urban areas while 34.8% lived in rural areas. The median age was 33.4 years, compared with 40.1 years in Montana.
In terms of ancestry, 25.4% were German, 14.8% were Irish, 12.4% were English, 8.8% were Norwegian, 4.6% were Italian, 4.0% were French, 3.5% were Scottish, 2.2% were Polish and 0.3% were Subsaharan African.
The population density was. There were 52,835 housing units in the county at an average density of.
The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, 1.8% from some other race, and 6.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.0% of the population.
Of the 47,117 households in the county, 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, about 25.9% were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 48.2% were married-couple family households, 23.9% were male householders with no spouse present, 20.4% were female householders with no spouse present, and the average family size was 2.96.
Among occupied housing units, 59.9% were owner-occupied and 40.1% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%.
The median household income was $75,418, significantly higher than the $57,153 median household income in Montana; 11.9% of the population was below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those 65 or older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 89,513 people, 36,550 households, and 21,263 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 42,289 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% White, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% American Indian, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.2% were German, 18.1% were Irish, 14.7% were English, 9.4% were Norwegian, and 3.5% were American.
Of the 36,550 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.8% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 32.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,136 and the median income for a family was $65,029. Males had a median income of $42,245 versus $31,349 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,423. About 7.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Gallatin County has traditionally favored Republican presidential candidates, often by large margins. Recent changes to Gallatin County's demographics have made the county more competitive.
Gallatin County is home to the flagship campus of Montana State University, which contributes to its Democratic lean.
Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton narrowly won Gallatin County in 2008 and 2016 respectively, with Republican Mitt Romney winning the county in 2012.
2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden won Gallatin County by the largest margin for a Democrat since Franklin Delano Roosevelt's victory in 1940. Democrat Kamala Harris won the county in 2024, marking the first time the county voted for a Democrat who lost the popular vote since 1900.

Communities

Cities

Unified districts include:
  • Big Sky School K-12
  • West Yellowstone K-12
The Belgrade elementary and high school districts are both a part of Belgrade Public Schools. The Bozeman elementary and high school districts are both a part of Bozeman Public Schools. The Manhattan elementary and high school districts are both a part of Manhattan Public Schools. The Three Forks elementary and high school districts are both a part of Three Forks Public Schools. The Willow Creek elementary and high school districts are both a part of Willow Creek Public Schools.
High school districts include:
Elementary school districts include: