Pondera County, Montana


Pondera County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 [United States census|2020 census], the population was 5,898. Its county seat is Conrad.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,898. Of the residents, 24.4% were under the age of 18 and 22.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 79.3% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 15.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from some other race, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.
There were 2,254 households in the county, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,759 housing units, of which 18.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.5% were owner-occupied and 33.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,153 people, 2,285 households, and 1,528 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 2,659 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 82.7% white, 14.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.9% were German, 14.7% were Norwegian, 13.2% were Irish, 9.3% were English, 5.7% were Dutch, and 5.6% were American.
Of the 2,285 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.1% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 42.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,419 and the median income for a family was $47,656. Males had a median income of $34,259 versus $26,903 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,989. About 14.9% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

From its creation until 1964, voters of Pondera County were fairly balanced; they selected Democratic Party candidates in 58% of national elections. Since 1964, the Republican presidential candidate has garnered the county's vote in every election. The eastern part of the county reaches into the Blackfeet Reservation, which votes strongly Democratic; otherwise the county is strongly Republican-leaning. A Republican trend on the Reservation in 2024, which also occurred in neighboring Glacier County and other majority Native American counties in Montana, led to Donald Trump performing better than any other Republican in county history that year.

Communities

City

Town

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

  • East Community
  • Fowler
  • Gallup City
  • Ledger
  • Manson
  • Williams

Notable people